The Darkness Within and Without
by DagonKin
Summary: A stranger shrouded in shadow and mystery encounters the Teen Titans, and he seems to know more about Raven than they do. He also seems to have a thing for poetry and symbolism, but it's probably primarily a symbolism thing.
1. A Chance Meeting

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak, and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore," a voice idly drawled out into the night. The owner of the voice sat on the sidewalk, shrouded in moon-cast shadows at the base of a pizzeria that happened to be near a tipped over truck that was currently being plundered. If a watcher were to try to observe them, they would have found their eyes drifting away from the mysterious person.

"While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly, there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping - rapping at my chamber door," the shadowed individual continued, rising to their feet. "Tis some visitor, I muttered, tapping at my chamber door. Only this, and nothing more."

In the middle of the street, things had gotten interesting. A group of costumed teenagers, barely more than children, approached the plunderer, who also wore a costume. A fight ensued, the plunderer throwing bolts and beams of light around, among other things. He also dodged or deflected all the projectiles launched at him, taunting his opposition as he did so.

"Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December, and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor," the figure continued, stepping towards the commotion. One of the five heroes, for that is what they were, turned into a wolf and leapt at the plunderer. A flash of light, and the wolf dropped to the ground, transforming back into a humanoid shape. "Eagerly, I wished the morrow, vainly had I sought to borrow from my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore."

The cloaked watcher paused, observing the fight before them. "For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore. Nameless here, forevermore." Another hero took to the air and threw green bolts of energy from her hands, which the plunderer absorbed with a shield of light. He then threw a disk at the ground beneath the girl. "And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me, filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before."

Tendrils of light poured out of the top of the disk, sinusoidally wrapping around the floating girl before rotating, creating a cage of light. The girl threw more energy bolts, only for them to fizzle impotently as they came into contact with the barrier. Angrily, she kicked it, succeeding in merely injuring her toes. "So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating. 'Tis some visitor, entreating entrance at my chamber door. Some late visitor, entreating entrance at my chamber door."

"This it is, and nothing more." The focus of the combat shifted from the girl to a boy who could only be described as a traffic light. He leapt at the light manipulator, releasing a handful of projectiles as he flew. His target sidestepped, tinkering with some device on his chest. A moment later, a beam of light so bright it demanded a new scale burst forth, blinding the Traffic Light Hero. "Presently, my soul grew stronger, hesitating then no longer. Sir, said I, or Madam truly, your forgiveness I implore."

The fourth of the heroes stepped into the fray, having ripped off half of an axle and the attached tires from the overturned truck. "But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, and so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door." The figure was now close enough to the melee that to the casual observer it might appear that they too were a combatant. The plunderer threw a device of some sort at the axle-wielding hero. The device exploded, releasing a burst of light and revealing that over half of his body was cybernetic.

"That I scarce was sure I heard you - here, I opened wide the door... Darkness there, and nothing more." The device had a surprising amount of kick to it, and it knocked Robot Hero flying into a brick building. By this time, the observer was close enough to hear what was said by the man and his opponents.

"Azareth, Metrion, Zinth- " the fifth hero, dressed in a blue cloak started to say, before being cut off by a burst of light.

"Here's a tip: find shorter magic words," the plunderer taunted the cloaked girl as his attack knocked her to the ground. He stepped towards her to continue the assault.

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." So focused on her was the man that he didn't notice the blurry and shadowy figure that slowly approached him.

"Don't come any closer," the girl warned from her position, crouching low on the ground, curled around her knees.

"What's the matter? Afraid of the light?" the man jeered.

"But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, and the only word there spoken was the whispered word 'Lenore?' This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, 'Lenore!' - merely this, and nothing more." The foolish, arrogant man stepped towards the prone girl, blasting her once again with a bolt of light.

"Don't come any closer!" the girl warned again, this time more frantically. He merely laughed, advancing slowly towards her. Glowing red eyes suddenly appeared in the girls hood, and her teeth sharpened into fine points. She also grew taller, her shadow larger beneath her, and tendrils of darkness wrapped around the base of her cloak.

"Back into my chamber turning, all my soul within me burning," the mysterious figure continued, their voice increasing with speed. "Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. Surely, said I, surely that is something at my window lattice. Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore! Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore! 'Tis the wind and nothing more!"

By now, the watcher was nearly stumbling over his words, for it was a he and his voice was male. By now, the plunderer had been seized by a tentacle and was being dragged into the shadow at the base of the girl, her red eyes gleaming and a fanged smile visible through the darkness of her hood.

"What's the matter?" she taunted in a voice that echoed the cries of a thousand tortured souls crying in agony. "Afraid of the dark?"

The watcher at this point stepped between the plunderer and the girl, facing towards the shadows. "Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, in there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore."

The watcher pulled back his hood, staring into the red eyes of the abyss that waited before him. "That's your name, isn't it? Raven… Raven, she of prophecy, she of Azarath… Born of a cursed union that shant be uttered. Remember who you are. Remember what you are."

Suddenly, the shadows waned at her feet, her eyes shifting back to a pale white with blue pupils, no longer red slits, and she shrank down to her original, somewhat diminutive size. Eyes wide with horror, she glanced at the gibbering man down at her feet before turning and melding into the shadows.

"So dark… so dark… no light… oh God, the things! The things in the shadows!" the plunderer whimpered.

"It's going to be alright, Dr. Light," Traffic Light Hero assured him. "Everything will be fine." His eyes scanned the surrounding area for traces of the mystery person who calmed Raven down. He was frustrated to find that both Raven and the man were gone.

"Dude… What was that?" the green hero asked, gesturing at Dr. Light.

"I don't know, Beast Boy, but we're going to find out," Traffic Light responded. "Cyborg, track Raven's communicator."

"Got it, Robin," the cybernetic man obeyed. He started messing with some screens and dials on his forearm. "Looks like she's not too far from here. She's in or on top of a building a couple blocks from here."

"Titans, go!" Robin yelled once he saw the location. Immediately Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl and flew off, with Robin, Cyborg, and a flying girl following soon after. They quickly approached the building, which happened to be a pizzeria.

"Starfire, gimme a lift up there," Cyborg called to the flying girl. She swooped down, grabbed the robotic man by his underarms and lifted him into the air. Gently, she set him down on the roof of the building before silently alighting herself. Robin soon joined them with the sound of a grappling hook embedding itself in the steel beside them, while Beast Boy landed with a screech before returning to human form.

Across from them sat Raven, floating in meditation. Next to her stood the mystery figure from before.

"Raven, your friends arrive. I shall explain the situation, if you wish not to speak," the mystery person said. Raven nodded slightly, and the man turned towards the four heroes.

"Your friend, Raven, has some impressive powers. Granted, one would expect that from her, given the nature of her birth and her heritage. I will not disclose that nature to you, for it is she who must do that if it ever is to be disclosed. However, I will say this, as Raven has given her permission for me to do so."

"There is a darkness in your friend. A darkness she fears, for it is one she cannot control. This darkness is not her - it is an element of her father. Unfortunately, it is quite vindictive, violent, cruel, selfish, and evil. What you saw earlier was a sliver of that darkness breaking through its cage, and it assumed control of Raven, despite her attempts to prevent that."

"Who are you? How do you know so much about Raven?" Robin demanded, not politely by any means of the word.

"Relax, Traffic Light," the figure chided, pulling back his hood and revealing a surprisingly young face. "I am Noctis Umbra, but you can call me Noc, Noctis, Umbra, or Noctis Umbra. As for how I know so much about Raven…"

"One of my gifts is prophecy."

"Wait up a minute," Cyborg interrupted. "Prophecy? As in like, telling the future?"

Noctis nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. When the circumstances allow, I see visions of possible futures and the paths that lead to them. I also have a knack for understanding prophecies better than the average person. I am saddened to say that Raven is a child of prophecy, and that prophecy is… not a kind one."

"You expect us to believe you?" Robin incredulously asked.

"No, but I will not give a different explanation. I strive for honesty, and if I cannot be fully truthful, then I will omit the full truth. I refuse to lie." Noctis stared into Robin's mask, meeting Robin eye to eye. Robin swallowed, unsure whether or not Noctis could really see through the mask.

"Now, this may seem a bit… forward, to say the least," Noctis continued. "But I happen to have run out of money, having been robbed at the last hotel I stayed in a couple days ago. Would you be willing to give me a place to sleep, at the very least, whilst I acquire some funds?"

Robin raised a disbelieving eyebrow. Before he could protest, however, Raven spoke, for the first time since the fight. "I trust him."

"Raven, we don't know anything about him!" Robin argued, almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He didn't even have time to register that this was Raven, of all people, who was vouching for him. Raven didn't trust anybody outside of the Titans.

"Dude… Robin, this is _Raven_ trusting someone," Beast Boy muttered, the implications not lost on him. "She doesn't trust anyone without sufficient reason." It did hurt a little, that Raven trusted this guy, but not him. She'd known him a lot longer. _Then again, maybe that_ is _the reason._

"He's telling the truth as he sees it," Raven re-stated. Cyborg nodded in agreement.

"All of my biometric sensors indicate he's not lying," the cybernetic teen said. Robin looked at Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. After a moment, he glanced at Starfire. She was the only one not against him.

"What do you think, Star?" he asked, hoping at least someone would agree with him. His hopes were dashed, however, when Starfire responded.

"I believe that my friends are correct, for I trust them. I trust their trust," she answered as she flew to stand beside the others. Robin simply groaned.

"Four to one, Robin. I think we win," Cyborg stated.

"We owe him. At the very least, I owe him," Raven added in her dispassionate monotone. Much more quietly, she continued. "He did save the city."

"Dr. Light wasn't going to destroy the city, Raven," Robin disagreed. "The city itself wasn't in danger."

Raven merely stared stonily at Robin. He gulped. "Fine, we'll let him stay. But you're responsible for him, Raven." Her eyes widened a little at the prospect, obviously wanting to protest. However, she sighed instead and nodded assent. It wasn't the wisest of choices to push their leader much more.

She walked up alongside Noctis as the others left to return to the Tower. "There's more to you than prophecy, isn't there?" she asked.

"Fortunately for the prophet in me, yes. Unfortunately, like you there is a weight upon me that I would wish upon no one." Raven glanced up at him, suspicion evident in her eyes despite her trust in him.

"What weight do you speak of?"

"I know the prophecies of Azarath. All of them, including the one they fear the most," Noctis answered. "The Trigon Prophecy, as they call it."

Raven stiffened. "You will mention none of this to the others," she warned in a menacing tone. "Not a word, or I will show you Hell. It's not a nice place."

Noctis smirked. "Of course, Raven. It is not my story to tell." They walked on in a comfortable silence, broken only by the scuffling of their footsteps. Suddenly, Raven was struck by a bolt of inspiration.

"Noctis, how many armageddon prophecies are there?" she asked, barely maintaining her signature tone of disinterest.

"That depends. Are we including the ones that have supposedly passed or not? Are we counting ones that apply to other dimensions, or just Earth? Ultimatums or not? Supernatural origin only?" he asked.

"Ones that have yet to pass that apply to Earth," Raven clarified in that dull monotone of hers.

"There are currently, to my knowledge, 340,721 prophecies depicting the end of this world as we know it," Noctis calmly answered.

"How can there be that many prophecies? I mean, if one passes wouldn't that negate all of the others?"

"Of course it would. However, each prophecy depicts only a possible future. There are millions upon millions of prophecies foretelling the end of the world, only for them to fall short of their claims," he serenely stated. "The existence of other prophecies, however, in no way invalidates a prophecy. Even if two prophecies contradict each other. Yes, Raven of Azarath, I can understand your asking, but unfortunately, I can offer no solace, no peace of mind."

Raven was silent, contemplating his words. He was correct when he said he offered no solace - all Raven could do was think of how he implied the prophecy centered around her was as real as the others.

"You seem to know a lot about me," Raven commented after settling her mind. "But I know very little of you."

"I know only what Fate's cruel hand shows me, Raven, and unfortunately, Fate has at least one eye trained on you." He leaned in conspiratorially before whispering. "Fate has many eyes."

"Regardless, we appear to be on an… uneven footing, so to speak. You know a lot about me, and I know that you call yourself Noctis Umbra."

"I will share more of myself later, when your suspicious leader is present. I dislike repeating myself," Noctis stated. "And when the other two have calmed down and you have meditated."

* * *

Noctis looked up from his plate of half-eaten food at the people surrounding him. Now that he saw them in better light, he found that they were closer to his age than he had originally surmised. However, legitimate age aside, they still behaved like children. For the most part.

"You did not beat me!" Beast Boy screeched at Cyborg. "You hacked into the system and disabled my controller for at least half a minute! You had to have! There's no way you could've won!"

"You're just jealous that you ain't got the skills to beat me," Cyborg retorted. Noctis found himself smirking at the taunt.

"I so _do_ have the skills the beat you!" Beast Boy indignantly shouted back.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you prove it?" Cyborg challenged. "One more game, winner takes all." He gestured at half a dozen bags of chips surrounding the two.

"Oh, you're so on," Beast Boy accepted. The two of them returned their attention to the TV screen, their fingers fiddling viciously with the controllers in their hands. Raven, sitting cross legged in her chair off to the side and reading a book merely sighed at their antics.

"Friends!" Starfire shouted over the clicking that the two managed to get out of the controllers. "It is most unwise to leave food unfinished, especially in the presence of a guest!" The lack of a response from the others was deafening.

"I'm gonna get ya!" Cyborg mocked.

"No way, man," Beast Boy retorted. Click, click. A moment later, Beast Boy shouted. "No way dude! How'd you do that? C'mon, you gotta tell me! That finisher there was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!"

"Winner's secret," Cyborg smirked. "And winner's takings," he added as he swept up the bags of chips. Beast Boy visibly deflated and pouted.

"Alright, folks," Noctis called, getting everyone's attention. "As I told Raven on the way here, it is somewhat unfair that I know so much about her and she knows so little about me. So, in order to be on a more equal footing, I'm going to share a little bit about myself. So gather round, friends, and listen to the tale of Noctis Umbra, the Prophet of the Night."

Somehow during that little speech, all of the Titans had silently formed a rough semicircle around him. Noctis noted with a little surprise that Robin had appeared from nowhere as well. Well, at least all of them were here, so he wouldn't need to repeat himself.

"As you know, my name is Noctis Umbra. I mentioned before that I have the 'gift', if you want to call it that, of prophecy. As such, there are many figures who would like to control me. If you know how potential futures could play out, you can direct said future to either be much more likely or much less likely. Because of this, I had to learn to protect myself very early on. I also learned not to talk, because when you somehow know almost every single god damned prophecy there is out there, then it's hard to keep them out of a conversation. Especially when one is coming into fruition and it just has to make itself known."

Suddenly, Noctis hunched over violently, his eyes glowing with a wispy, silvery light, and he spoke in a hoarse voice. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, and he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"

Immediately, Noctis inhaled a great shuddering breath. His eyes stopped glowing, and he straightened up so that he was no longer hunched over. Everyone just stared at him, an unknown amount of time passing before Beast Boy broke the silence. "What the hell was that?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Noctis responded. "What did I say?"

The others just stared at him. "What do you mean, what did you say? How do you not know what you said?" Robin demanded rudely.

"Well it's not like I know what I say when I'm actually prophesying! I don't know what prophecy I'm spouting. I'm not joking when I say that I can think of a million different prophecies. Tell me what I said, and I can explain it to you. I hope."

"Something about a dark lord and his equal," Cyborg said. "I could repeat it verbatim, but I'd need to double check my memory."

"Oh. That one. Britain's in for one hell of a night," Noctis stated by way of explanation. He only succeeded in confusing everyone even more. "It's a long story. It'd take like… seven books to fully explain it."

"Anyways," Noctis continued brightly. "More about myself. I enjoy peaceful environments, reading, writing, and sleeping. Above all, I value my sleep. I dislike seeing people in pain, and I dislike inflicting pain on people. I'm a pacifist by nature."

"Why do you value your sleep so much?" Cyborg inquired.

"You try spending months at a time running from people you don't know, hoping that the next corner you turn down doesn't have them crouched behind it. You try that, worrying that someone's going to sneak up on you in the middle of the night simply because you _know_ things. I dare you to try doing that and getting a decent night's rest," Noctis ranted.

A moment later, he realized what he'd said, his eyes widening. "Apologies. I'm… very protective… about my sleep. I should not have lashed out at you like that."

"Enough about me, though," Noctis continued after a moment in a peppy tone. "Tell me a bit about yourselves. Doesn't have to be too personal, just a few surface details. Y'know, the kind of thing I'd learn if I read the newspapers for long enough."

"Well, we're the Teen Titans, resident crime fighters of Jump City," Cyborg started. "I'm Cyborg, the green grass stain is Beast Boy, Robin's the one in the mask, Starfire is the redhead, and Raven's the one in the blue cloak. As you can obviously see, we live in a giant tower in the middle of the bay, and we respond to criminals that the police and normal authorities are incapable of handling."

"Read: don't want to," Raven interjected.

"That's about all we permit the newspapers to legally print. I cannot stress how many libel cases we had before the newspapers and news stations got it through their management that we do not want to become tabloids," Robin finished.

Noctis leaned back in his seat, a smirk finding its way onto his face. "Maybe I should've asked for a more personal introduction, then. Oh well, this was all for Raven's benefit, so it doesn't really matter too much. If we're done here, though, I'd like some sleep."

Slowly, Noctis rose to his feet and headed towards the kitchen area, bringing his plate with him. As he placed it in the sink, Robin got Raven's attention with a wave. He proceeded to jerk his head towards Noctis - his way of reminding her of their agreement for permitting Noctis to stay. She sighed, but rose to her feet and joined Noctis in the kitchen.

"As per my agreement with our glorious leader, I am responsible for you while you are a guest in the tower," Raven reminded him in her monotone. "As such, I'll escort you to the guest room, if you'll follow me."

"Wonderful," Noctis commented, falling in beside her as she walked up a set of stairs. "I haven't slept in four days, so I might be a bit… late, as it were, to wake up tomorrow. If I wake up at all. Might sleep for a couple days. Hell knows I could use it." Raven merely nodded, saying nothing else.

"Well, here's the door," Raven announced, stopping beside a non-descript looking door. After she hit a few keys on a pad next to the door, it slid open with a low hiss, revealing a comfortable looking room with a medium sized bed, and an attached bathroom. "Sleep well, Noctis."

"And you too, Raven." Noctis entered the room, and the door slid shut behind him. When he was certain the door was sealed, he murmured in a low tone. "Not the least obeisance made she, not a minute stopped or stayed she. But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door. Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door. Perched and sat - and nothing more."

* * *

 **A/N: This is the first story that I've written and published, so any constructive feedback is most welcome.**

 **Disclaimers: I cannot, with any modicum of honesty, claim that I own Teen Titans. Also, credit given where credit is due - the poem that Noctis is reciting at the beginning is from Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven', which I'm using for hopefully obvious reasons. I do admit to altering the punctuation as it seemed fitting to do so, and I also changed 'he' to 'she' at the very end.**


	2. One Hectic Day

**A/N: I realized as I started writing this that I forgot to mention in the previous disclaimer that I do not own Harry Potter. I know, I know, this is a surprise to all of you. Just wanted to get that out of the way.**

* * *

"I'm kind of, but not completely surprised. He did mention just before the door closed that he hadn't slept in four days," Raven's dry voice calmly stated.

"And to think I thought that Beast Boy slept in," Cyborg added, clearly impressed with their new guest's ability to sleep. "He does realize that people generally aren't nocturnal, right?"

"I'd hope so, because I have some questions for him," Robin said, somewhat viciously. "And I hope, for his sake, that he answers them well."

"Dude, you're not thinking of holding him hostage 'cause he can read the future or something, are you?" Beast Boy intruded. "Cause if what he said last night is true, then he's been running from people for basically his entire life, and doing that'd be like, a total dick move."

"It does not bode well for a prospective friendship to be starting with the hostage taking," Starfire chimed in.

"For once, Beast Boy said something that's sensible and I agree with," Raven murmured before vanishing into the floor. She reappeared a few seconds later, her cloak singed and smelling slightly of smoke. "Somehow, Hell hasn't frozen over yet," she added sarcastically.

Beast Boy just gaped at her. _Did she really just go to Hell for that?_ The others, Starfire excluded, were thinking similar thoughts. Starfire was more worried about how Robin was going to act around Noctis.

"It'd be wisest to let him sleep for now, permit him to wake up on his own," Raven reasoned, not at all biased by her own desire to be left alone. Not biased at all. "After all, one doesn't avoid capture by criminals for their entire life without acquiring some abilities. We do not want to wake him in a panic and thinking he might be under attack when we don't even know the full extent of his powers."

"That… makes sense," Robin said after mulling it over. "It's already past noon, and we haven't eaten lunch. We should probably go eat."

"Good idea! I'll get the tofu!" Beast Boy shouted, already halfway out the door. Cyborg grabbed him by the collar just before he could slip out.

"Oh, no you don't, green boy," he threatened in a menacing tone. "We are NOT having tofu for lunch. We WILL be having pizza." Beast Boy gulped.

"Y'know, Beast Boy, there's something I've always wondered about you. You don't drink real milk, but you will eat cheese. In fact, you usually get extra cheese on your pizza. What gives?" Robin asked.

"Vegan pizza doesn't use real cheese. It's sciencey stuff," Beast Boy huffed.

"... I don't think I want to know. Forget I asked."

"Quiet, guys. I think he's waking up," Cyborg announced. Noctis mumbled something in his sleep before rolling over. "Wait, nevermind. He's going back into stage four sleep. _HOW are his brain waves going into stage four sleep again?! This'll be his sixth cycle!"_ Cyborg ranted.

"How about we all just go away, let him sleep until he can't sleep anymore, and talk to him then? It's not like he can do anything while he's sleeping," Raven proposed in a very suggestive manner - suggestive here being Raven holding an object of considerable weight (read: Cyborg) above Robin and Beast Boy's heads, while simultaneously holding them in place. There was a silence as the Titan's processed Raven's suggestion.

"I think that's a wonderful plan," Cyborg agreed, quite enthusiastically. He did not want to get dropped, especially because Raven could slam him down into the ground with quite considerable force.

"Yeah, brilliant plan, Raven. Can't leave if you don't let us go, though," Beast Boy said, forcing a little nervous laughter.

"Is… he talking in his sleep?" Robin asked. Everyone immediately turned towards Noctis, who was indeed mumbling something incoherent.

"What's he saying? Cy, you've got sensors in that room, don't you? C'mon, what's he saying?" Beast Boy demanded excitedly.

Cyborg moved over to a screen near the observation window and started typing in some commands. A moment later, they heard a crackle of static as the speakers turned on, which died down after a few seconds as the sensors normalized.

"... rule them all… One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all… and in the darkness… Bind them."

"Whatever it is, it reeks of prophecy," Raven stated. "Let's just go, before you guys hear something that you shouldn't." She grabbed Robin's ear in one hand, and Beast Boy's with the other and left, forcibly dragging them behind her.

"I am… disinclined to annoy Raven on this beautiful day," Starfire said to Cyborg, floating over to the door. "But I am unsure what they have done to frustrate her so."

"Don't worry, Star. I'm sure if we just go away from here now, we can avoid… her… temper." Cyborg trailed off, having noticed Raven returning as he finished the sentence. "Hold on Raven, no need to get physical with us. We were just leaving."

Raven's eyes flared white, but she otherwise said nothing, just stalking out of the room, Starfire and Cyborg in tow.

* * *

Noctis stirred, waking up confused and in a bed, but instantly suspicious. He hadn't slept in a real bed in years - in hotels, he slept in the bathroom or closet. As such, waking up in a bed was a feeling he associated with kidnapping.

As the fog of sleep left his mind and he remembered what he did the previous night, the tension left his body. He was in Titan's Tower, after encountering them in the street last night and calming Raven down. If it was last night. Might've been two nights, for all he knew. Looking around the room, he noticed several things he hadn't noticed when he first entered. To start with, there was a large bookcase that contained only one book.

Curiosity piqued, Noctis approached the bookcase and read the title of the book. _Guest Rules of Titan's Tower._ Frowning, he lifted the book off the shelf, thumbing through it. The book was, for the most part, blank, except for the first few pages and the last page. Smirking to himself, Noctis set the book down.

 _No rules, except for what Beast Boy says. I highly doubt that,_ he thought wryly to himself. Seeing a full body mirror outside the bathroom, he stopped to inspect himself. He had straight jet-black hair that reached halfway down his neck, pale skin that looked like it had never seen the light of day, and deep blue eyes that hid a great sadness, but held a glimmer of laughter. He wore a black trench coat, its color matching the abyss. Examining himself, Noctis sighed. Somehow, he was clean-shaven.

"Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, by the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore… Hell, was even Poe a prophet?" he asked, expecting no answer. Grumbling to himself, Noctis buttoned up the front of his coat, concealing most of his lean frame. _Probably a little bit too lean,_ he ruminated. _Not much I can do about that though._ Satisfied that his appearance would not improve in the absence of divine intervention, Noctis approached the door.

Unfortunately for him, he thought it was an automatic door. It wasn't, which he discovered when he walked into it. Rubbing his head, Noctis grumbled to himself. "Beaten by a door. Yeah, that's a first. 'The Great Noctis Umbra', felled by an inanimate object. Long may he rest in peace."

He fumbled with the keypad next to the door, eventually pressing the button to open it. It was the last button he pressed for two reasons: One, he'd pressed all of the other buttons before pressing the green one labelled 'Open', and two; with the door open, he didn't need to press any others. "Stupid door," he muttered as he exited the room, backtracking the path he had taken to get there when Raven guided him.

Arriving in the living area, he noted with no surprise that it was dark outside. After all, he hadn't slept in four days, and his body did need to rest. Still, he was surprised to find that it was slowly getting brighter outside. Spinning around in search of a clock, he was startled to find himself staring into a pair of blue eyes peering out from under the darkness of a hood.

"You're awake," Raven stated.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Noctis smiled. "Is there a clock around here?"

Raven pulled out a small device from under her cloak and glanced at it. "No. It's 5:30 in the morning though." She turned towards the kitchen area and filled a kettle with water.

"Is there, by chance, a reason that there are no clocks in this room?" Noctis asked, slightly miffed by her abrupt behavior. "It certainly makes it hard for guests who don't have watches to know what time it is."

"We got tired of replacing them every time Cyborg and Beast Boy had an argument, and we all have our communicators with us," Raven explained as she pulled out a box of teabags. "Now if you don't mind, I need to meditate, unless we want a repeat of two days ago."

"Yeah, wouldn't want that," Noctis agreed. "Wait, two days ago? I slept for two days?!"

"Yes. You can thank me later. Robin could barely restrain himself from waking you up."

Noctis took the hint to shut up and did so, sitting down on a couch while Raven went about her morning routine. Subtly, he extended his shadow to connect with the shadow cast by the lamp, siphoning a miniscule amount of energy as he did so - enough to satisfy him until he could eat, but not too much that the lamps shadow would not recover swiftly, or that the lamps diminished shadow would be visible. Having finished that, he closed his eyes and relaxed for the second time in several months.

Presently, he became aware of a low whistle that steadily increased in volume. He waited for Raven to go deal with it, but to his frustration she didn't. Sighing, he raised his hands to his ears, trying to block out the noise. When that didn't work, he groaned, opening his eyes. He grumbled when, upon opening his eyes, he found Raven staring listlessly from her seat.

"You uhh… Are you going to go deal with that?" he awkwardly asked her. She visibly flinched when he spoke, as if he'd startled her. Without saying anything, she stood up and padded back into the kitchen and turned off the burner. In the ensuing silence, Noctis once more closed his eyes, his thoughts wandering.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…" a soft voice intoned. Noctis opened one eye, and was greeted with an image of Raven floating cross legged, hands wrapped around a small steaming porcelain cup, mouth moving in tandem with the words. He smiled and closed his eyes, his mind unfocusing once more.

Noctis was rudely drawn back into reality when a water balloon exploded on the side of his head. Spluttering, he whirled about in an attempt to pinpoint the source. His gaze settled on a mischievous pair of green eyes resting above a smirking face that was barely containing laughter. "Why am I not surprised…" Noctis muttered.

Turning his entire body to face the green menace, Noctis glanced at Raven, noting that she was still meditating, before turning his full attention to Beast Boy. Noctis's blue eyes darkened to pitch black, and tendrils of a wispy black energy leaked from the corners of his eyes as the lights in the room dimmed. When Noctis spoke, it was in a calm, but low and dangerous tone.

"You do realize that I have no spare clothes, yes?" Beast Boy gulped. "I cannot go about walking around with no clothes on when there are ladies present," Noctis added, gesturing towards Raven. "I also cannot afford to risk walking about wearing wet clothes. If I get sick, then it's infinitely easier for someone to apprehend me. So, if I cannot leave my clothes on, and I cannot take them off, how do you propose we remedy this situation?"

Beast Boy whimpered. He'd been expecting angry yelling, not this… this cold, calm, calculated fury. Noctis's composure frightened him far more than if Noctis had simply screamed at him. "Maybe… Maybe I could, y'know, I could go to the s-st-store and get you some...clothes?" Beast Boy suggested, praying to any deity he could think of that his solution appealed to Noctis.

Slowly, the lighting in the room returned to normal. Noctis's eyes lightened until they were once again that striking blue color, and the tendrils of energy dissipated. "An acceptable solution," he accepted. "Medium shirt size, large is a little loose. Medium for pants, thirty-two inches around the waist. Oh, and Beast Boy?"

"Yeah?"

"Black or dark brown, no design. I'll be most… displeased, if there's a design."

"Right." Beast Boy shuddered. _What was that? That was some Raven-type magic,_ he thought.

Noctis rose to his feet and started pacing, uncomfortable in his wet clothes. Unbeknownst to him, Raven had a slight smirk on her face. The way Noctis had handled Beast Boy was efficient, to say the least. She'd had her eyes closed, though, so she didn't realize that the room had darkened, or that Noctis physically changed to be more intimidating. She did, however, sense the use of magic, though she didn't know exactly what Noctis did. Beast Boy would definitely think twice about pranking Noctis. Maybe even three times.

"You'll wear down the carpet there if you keep pacing, and then we'll have to ask you to replace it," Raven warned, coming out of her meditation.

"It's the only thing keeping me from lashing out at him," Noctis replied evenly. "Easier to replace a carpet than a face."

"True, but I can heal a face for free," Raven suggested.

"I'll keep that in mind the next time I walk into a wall. Or Beast Boy does." Noctis shivered as the air conditioner started to work its way through his wet clothes. _It's gonna be a long morning…_

* * *

Interestingly, Beast Boy was thinking along the same lines as he walked through aisle after aisle at the store when suddenly, his communicator went off. Reaching down and clicking it on, he was greeted with the sight of Robin's face. "Beast Boy, where are you? There's something I could use your help with."

"I'm a little busy at the moment. I kinda ticked Noctis off, and in order to calm him down I told him I'd get him some new clothes," Beast Boy sheepishly explained. Robin sighed.

"Well, could you hurry it up? Raven's meditating, Star's entertaining Noctis, and Cy's cooking," Robin asked. _Why am I not surprised…?_

"I'm working as fast as I can, but I can't find any clothes. All I'm seeing is soup."

Robin groaned. "Then get out of that aisle and go to the next one." There was a silence as Beast Boy walked around the corner. "Are there clothes there yet?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"No."

"Then go to the next aisle."

Pause. Silence. Beast Boy's voice. "There's still soup."

Robin breathed in deeply. He breathed out deeply. He rubbed his temples. He tried to calm himself down. He really did. Between sharp intakes of breath, he managed to intelligibly hiss. "What… store are you in, Beast Boy?"

"I'm at the soup store."

Silence on the line. A silence so complete that Beast Boy worried that Robin had disconnected his communicator, or muted his end. Holding it up to his ear, he winced when Robin suddenly shouted. "WHY ARE YOU BUYING CLOTHES AT THE SOUP STORE!?" Beast Boy stumbled and dropped his communicator.

* * *

Back at the tower, Robin was fuming as he joined the others for breakfast. He was so preoccupied with his frustration with Beast Boy that he didn't even consider interrogating Noctis. Instead, he silently stewed in his mental pot of rage, anger, and frustration while listening to the conversation.

"Is Beast Boy always like this?" Noctis asked, gesturing to his soaked trench coat while shivering. There was a clatter as he lifted a fork to his plate which, combined with his shivering, turned the plate into an impromptu drum.

"Yes, friend Noctis. Friend Beast Boy is always pulling the pranks on us. It is most infuriating when he switches my boots, or steals Cyborgs legs." There was another clanging noise as Noctis dropped his fork, his mouth falling open in shock as he registered Starfire's words.

"He stole Cyborg's legs?" he asked, his gaze flicking between Starfire and Cyborg.

"Yes, but it was most unpleasant for both of them. Cyborg could not go upstairs, and if he went downstairs he could not come back up. Beast Boy found himself coated in a thick, sticky, oily fluid called the 'tar', and his pillows were ripped apart, coating him in feathers that he could not get off," Starfire continued, oblivious of the disbelief that was evident on Noctis's face.

"And uhh… how, exactly, did that happen?" Noctis asked, trying to maintain a straight face.

"I can remotely control my limbs," Cyborg explained. "Figured I'd implement the technology after my arm was stolen by a creep named Gizmo. Coated him with tar from my right foot while my left foot cut open his pillows."

Noctis nodded inattentively. "Wait. Did you say Gizmo?"

"Yeah. D'you know him?"

"He's part of that HIVE group, isn't he?" Noctis asked, somewhat frantically.

"Yeeee-ess…" Cyborg affirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"Could you tell me a little about them? It never hurts to know more about an enemy."

Cyborg smirked. "You're in for quite the tale, Noctis. Sit back, relax, and let ole Uncle Cy tell ya a story."

* * *

It was almost noon, and Beast Boy was still out. In fact, he'd completely forgotten the reason he'd gone out in the first place, so distracted was he by the soup he had seen. He'd already purchased two dozen cans, emptying out the soup store's stock before a worker suggested he try over at the shopping mall. Smirking to himself, he could just imagine Cyborg's face when he came home and presented the tin can with tin cans of soup.

He passed by a clothing store and saw a shirt that grabbed his attention. It had a design from _Mega Monkeys IIX_ , and he figured that Noctis might like it. Hadn't he said something about clothes earlier?

Shrugging his shoulders, Beast Boy entered the store, grabbing several shirts with very cool designs. As he passed through the checkout line, he grabbed a bag of chocolate. Maybe later he'd try to get Raven to eat some. Whistling as he left the store, he was jolted out of his thoughts by a familiar ringtone.

Reaching down to pull out his communicator, he clicked it on. "Yello, Beast Boy here."

"BEAST BOY WHERE ARE YOU? YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR HOURS!" Robin's voice yelled through the communicator, which Beast Boy promptly dropped. "HOW LONG CAN IT POSSIBLY TAKE YOU TO BUY CLOTHES FOR NOCTIS?"

Picking up the communicator, Beast Boy defended himself. "I just finished getting them, I'm on my way back now."

"Good, because Cyborg and Starfire are talking with Noctis, Raven's in her room, and I _still_ need help with something."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Beast Boy said, ending the transmission. "Wonder what's got him so riled up…" He continued whistling, bending down and picking up a thirty pound bag of soup cans and an awkwardly large twenty pound bag of clothes. Exiting the mall, he transformed into a pterodactyl, grabbed one bag with each taloned foot, and leapt into the air.

Only to fall flat on his dinosaur face. Sitting up, Beast Boy reverted back into his human form and rubbed his forehead. "Ow," he murmured, looking at the bags. Slowly, he turned to look at Titan's Tower off in the distance, and cursed. Reluctantly, he picked up the heavy bags and started walking.

* * *

Back at the Tower, Raven was having a hard time concentrating. Sighing, she stood up just as there was a knock at her door. Grumbling to herself, she pulled her hood up and strode over to the door just as the knocking continued.

"Raven? You in there?" Robin's voice asked.

Raven entered the code to de-automate the door and pulled it open enough that she could look at Robin with one eye. "What do you want, Robin?" she asked dryly.

"I need help with something. Beast Boy's out, and Cyborg and Starfire are with Noctis," Robin said.

"I'm busy." Raven slid the door shut and locked it, turning to try to continue reading. Her book had just gotten very, very interesting. In a shocking turn of events, it turned out that the protagonist was actually serving the villain the entire time, and just didn't know it. She just _had_ to find out what happened next.

"Raven, please, it won't take too long," Robin begged from behind the door.

"Why don't you ask Noctis? It'll give you the chance you've been looking for to grill him."

"That's… actually a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you're not using the thing between your ears," Raven told him.

A minute later, Robin was in the main common room speaking in an authoritative tone. "Noctis, would you come with me for a bit? There's something I need a hand with."

Noctis rose to his feet, smiling loosely. "Yeah, sure, what do you need?"

"First and foremost, I wanna know what's up with you. When we met you, you were talking like you were raised by aristocracy using antiquated words. Now, you're talking… differently. Less archaic and high handed, I guess."

Noctis frowned. He hadn't really noticed a change, frankly. "Probably a result of me being tired. Prophecies like to be fancy and archaic, and they were probably affecting my speech. So what did you need help with?"

"Follow me," Robin gestured. "I was originally going to have Beast Boy help, since he's the reason that this happened, but he's out. Then, I figured that it's because of you that he's out, so you might as well be the one to help me." Robin grinned, not unkindly, but not kindly either.

"Let me guess - he pranked you," Noctis ventured. He had a pretty good idea of Beast Boy's character.

"Yep," Robin affirmed, leading Noctis to his room. "Step inside, take a look, see if you can figure out what's wrong."

Noctis stepped inside, a sense of foreboding building in his stomach. The moment he was through the door, Robin sealed it shut behind him. Feeling around the door for a lightswitch, he found one and turned it on. His jaw dropped at the sight before him. Plastered on every surface of the room was a tinted and smiling picture of Robin, the colors organized into a rough rainbow.

A speaker in the ceiling crackled to life. "I'll let you out once the last picture is removed," Robin's voice announced.

Noctis cursed. "Of course. Yup. This is fine. This is totally fine…" he complained sarcastically. He extended his shadow towards the shadow cast by the bed, slowly sinking into it. He didn't want to cause undue damage, but he sure as hell didn't want to clean up Beast Boy's prank for Robin.

Entering Shadow Form, as he liked to call it, without damaging his gateway was a slow process. He was sure Robin was watching him, but he didn't care. There was nothing Robin could do to stop him, short of entering the room, and that would make leaving much easier.

When at last he'd entered the shadows, he walked towards the door and passed through it, back into the hall. He continued into the main area, the only indication of his existence a dark circle gliding along the floor. Upon entering the main common area, he began to painstakingly reconstruct himself from shadows. As he did so, he noticed Cyborg playing a video game with Robin, the two of them getting really into the competition.

"Boy Wonder? Hah! More like Boy Blunder!" Cyborg taunted as he executed a combo move perfectly, bringing Robin's life bar down by about 50%. Robin growled in response, his finger flicking around the controller to pull off a combo move to counter Cyborg's. The results were that Robin's life bar rose back up to 75%, while Cyborgs dropped by 25%.

"You were saying?" he retorted to Cyborg.

"Oh, no you didn't. You did NOT just do that!" Cyborg shouted, fiddling with the joystick. "By the way, where's Noctis? You dragged him off, and then came back alone," Cyborg asked, clearly trying to distract Robin.

"He's cleaning up a mess for me. I asked him to and he agreed." By this time, Noctis was almost completely solid again. Almost, but not quite. A dinging sound grabbed his attention as the elevator opened, dispensing a very exhausted Beast Boy. Said Beast Boy looked up, saw the incorporeal Noctis, and screeched.

"Beast Boy, keep it down, you're distractin' me!" Cyborg shouted without taking his eyes off the screen.

"Keep talking, Beast Boy," Robin goaded. "It's his fault if you annoy him and he loses." Noctis glanced at Beast Boy and saw that he had collapsed on his back. Shrugging, he determined that he was solid enough for his next act. Walking up to Robin on the couch, he sat down next to him. Robin didn't register Noctis's presence at all.

"Boo," Noctis said conversationally.

"Noctis, move over, you're distracting me," Robin said, the words out of his mouth before he realized what they suggested. "Wait. How'd you get out?" he asked, turning from the game to face Noctis. A moment later, game over music played and Cyborg shouted.

"Booyah!" Cyborg announced as he struck down Robin's character.

"Come now, Robin. Did you honestly think that I'd evaded capture for my entire life? I've been captured many times. I've just always escaped. Good news, though! Beast Boy's back, so you can have him clean up. It is, after all, his mess."

Just then, an alarm blared out, and red flashing lights started blinking. Robin stepped back from Noctis, looking towards the screen, which now showed a city map and highlighted an area with a red circle. He pulled out a communicator from his belt and shouted into it. "Titan's, trouble!"

Noctis gestured towards the screen. "Mind if I tag along? I'm sure you don't want to leave me in the tower unwatched."

Robin glanced at him. "Unless Raven stays behind, yes, you're coming."

* * *

 **A/N: *Dramatic music***

 **Disclaimer for this chapter: I don't own Teen Titans. If I did, then I'd probably not be writing this here - it'd be in the actual Teen Titans. I also don't own Lord of the Rings. There are also a few more lines from Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven' in here, but not nearly as many as last time.**

 **Credit where credit's due: The soup store scene is heavily inspired by a scene from PurpleEyesWTF's Code MENT, which is an abridged series of Code Geass. I would link but I'm lazy.**

 **One of the benefits of being a useless drain of society's resources (i.e, unemployed) is that I've got a lot of time to spend writing, which is why I'm able to get this next chapter out so quickly. Unfortunately, another one of the reasons that I'm able to write so quickly is that I currently have a handful of ideas to go through. This means that I will probably slow down with updates, once I exhaust my ideas.**

 **As always, feedback is appreciated.**


	3. An Invitation

Noctis followed the Titans as best he could, not really wanting to reveal too many of his powers. He still didn't fully trust them, and they didn't fully trust him, so he figured that it would be in his best interests to not share everything about himself. Ahead of him he saw Robin riding his R-Cycle, Starfire carrying Cyborg, and Beast Boy flying as a pterodactyl. Raven was floating above and to his right as they arrived at the bank that triggered the alarm.

As luck would have it, the criminals responsible for the break-in were none other than the HIVE. Noctis recognized Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth as soon as he lay eyes on them. They were, after all, quite… unique, if nothing else. In both appearance and mannerisms. Just as Noctis arrived, he heard Robin shout. "Titans, go!"

 _I really hope that doesn't become a thing. Actually, that had better not be a thing he does. That could get annoying really fast,_ Noctis thought. He watched as the Titans swiftly entered combat - Jinx against Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy against Mammoth, and Robin and Starfire squaring off with Gizmo. Figuring he would just sit by and watch, Noctis looked around for a place to sit down.

As he looked, he realized that there was a movie theater across the street from the bank. Making a decision, Noctis decided to enter said theatre. A minute later he came out with a large bucket of popcorn and a thirty ounce soda. Upon his exit from the theatre, he promptly sat down on the hood of a parked car and leaned back with his large popcorn and soda. His actions were unnoticed by both sides.

Jinx and Raven were both so absorbed in their duel that neither noticed when Mammoth threw Beast Boy down the street at them. Jinx's bad luck somehow didn't affect her for once, though, and it was Raven who Beast Boy flew into. Almost as if in a response, Gizmo went flying the other way, crashing into the car parked next Noctis's seat.

As Gizmo shook his head in an attempt to clear it, he noticed Noctis reclining on his car of choice. "Hey, cludge-brains! It's that stupid know-it-all kid! The one we're supposed to capture fo-oof!"

He was cut off when Noctis's fist rammed into his gut, blasting the oxygen from his lungs. Gizmo felt the somewhat familiar sense of terror as he tried to breathe, but couldn't. Whenever one of his inventions failed, he usually ended up slamming his back into something hard and knocking the wind out of him. However, despite the numerous times he'd felt this particular set of sensations, he still handled it no better than he did the first time.

Simply put, Gizmo panicked. Less simply, he couldn't breathe. Some removed part of his brain that operated solely on logic told him that it was temporary, he'd be able to breathe soon once the gasses that were forced up into his lungs would settle back down, but it was a small part of his brain. The rest of his brain ran on emotions, which is part of why he's such a nuisance to be around. That part of his brain told Gizmo he was going to die, so he'd better get in as many heartbeats as possible.

It was all illogical, but the bulk of Gizmo's brain was illogical, so it kind of makes sense. In fact, it's kind of a wonder how Gizmo's brain could be so irrational and yet so smart. Maybe he plagiarized. Regardless, having punched Gizmo in the gut, Noctis returned to watching the fight. As he watched, he munched contentedly on his popcorn.

With Gizmo out of the picture, it didn't take long for the Titan's to finish apprehending Jinx and Mammoth. As the Titans gathered around the three thieves, Robin decided to attempt an interrogation. Since Robin was unaffiliated with the Police Force, he didn't actually have to worry about Miranda rights and all that, which came as a surprise to Noctis.

"Alright Gizmo," Robin said in a menacing tone. "What were you saying about Noctis being 'the one you were supposed to capture'? Who were you supposed to capture him for?"

"I ain't sayin' nuthin, mud for brains!" Gizmo rudely retorted.

"Wow. Rude," Noctis interjected. "You know, you shouldn't treat people so disrespectfully. You never know when you'll come across someone who takes it personally."

"Oh yeah, sludge face? What are you gonna do?" Gizmo yelled.

"I'll punch you in the gut again."

Gizmo opened his mouth for another retort, but seemed to think twice about actually saying it. Robin took the opportunity to get up in Gizmo's face again, though it would've been much more intimidating without the mask. Probably.

"I'm going to ask you again, Gizmo. Who wants Noctis captured?"

"Why don't you use the empty space between your ears for once, bird brain?" Gizmo taunted. Robin stood up and stepped back, which Noctis took as an invitation. Jumping to his feet, Noctis set down his popcorn and approached Gizmo, soda in one hand, the other curled up into a fist. He took a long drink from his nearly empty soda, the straw making a rude slurping noise. Then, he leaned over Gizmo and drove his fist into the midget's gut, eliciting a string of curses that cut off as Gizmo's face started to turn red.

"Holy crap, he actually did it," Mammoth exclaimed, shocked. "Doesn't Robin dislike interrogation?"

"Noctis, didn't you say you were a pacifist?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah, but he's just such an annoying ball of hate. It was… cathartic, to hit him. Kinda makes me want to hit you less for what you did earlier," Noctis explained.

"Oh."

"Right."

There was a shout of frustration nearby as Robin, who had wandered off, seemed to have an epiphany, followed immediately by him kicking a car tire. In kicking it, though, he managed to somehow hit the car chassis with his knee, denting it and setting off the car's anti-theft alarm. A clearly startled Robin stumbled backwards, tripped over the curb and fell backwards into a light pole, hitting the back of his head. He lay groaning on the sidewalk.

Noctis gestured at the spectacle, looking at Beast Boy. "Is this… normal behavior? For him I mean."

Beast Boy glanced at Robin, his eyes widening as he did so. His mouth dropped slightly open. After a moment, laughter bubbled forth from his mouth and he clutched at his sides, trying to control his breathing. He failed, though, and he slowly collapsed to his knees, laughing all the time as he did so as if he'd seen the funniest thing in the world.

"I take that as a no," Noctis muttered, turning away from Beast Boy. In a somewhat rushed manner, he padded over to where Robin lay on the ground and crouched over him, prodding at him. Looking up, he called over to Raven. "Raven, would you mind waking him up so that whatever shocking revelation he's had, he can share it with us?"

Raven nodded, kneeling down beside Robin, who had actually started drooling. "Euyuck," Raven muttered as she wiped the saliva off of his chin with his glove before placing a hand under the back of his head. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she continued in a similar tone and volume as a black aura enveloped her hands. She maintained that position, one hand on Robin's chest, the other on the back of his head for a few seconds before releasing him and standing back up.

"He's not going to wake up any time soon," she announced, much to Noctis's chagrin and Jinx's amusement.

"Of course he won't," Noctis grumbled. "He figures something out, then proceeds to knock himself out just so he won't have to share it with us."

"Starfire, get Robin home. We don't need press seeing him unconscious and speculating about it," Raven said, pointedly ignoring Noctis's discontent.

"I thought you said that you didn't let the press print much other than your names?" Noctis asked, remembering storytime from the night they met.

"We don't let them print stuff about our personal lives," Cyborg explained. "We can't complain if they print something like 'Robin Unconscious After Fight With HIVE.' The lawyers were very… insistent about that."

"I… see," Noctis said after a moment, sitting down while the three remaining Titans waited for the police to arrive. After a few minutes, he started fidgeting. "This is really boring. Is their response time always this slow?"

"Usually they're here faster," Beast Boy replied, his ears twitching. "They're coming though. They'll be here soon."

"Judging by the confident undertone in your voice, I gather that you know something," Noctis muttered. About thirty seconds later, he too noticed what Beast Boy had picked up on - sirens in the distance. "About time," he continued. "No wonder criminals can get away with so much here, if the average response time is this long."

* * *

Several hours later, after an obnoxiously long, repetitive, and redundant booking process in which the police worked extremely hard and accomplished effectively nothing, the titans had returned to the tower exhausted. Robin was in the infirmary, Starfire in the Kitchen, Raven had secluded herself in her room, while Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing a game. Noctis was sitting comfortably on a couch in the common room.

"Beast Boy?" Noctis called out. "You remember earlier that you went to get some clothes for me?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy responded. "They're in one of the bags I dropped earlier just before the alarm."

Noctis got to his feet with a groan. In all honesty, he'd done very little in the fight, so his exhaustion was somewhat confusing to him. Grumbling something unintelligible, he meandered over towards the forgotten bags and started sifting through them.

"Why did you get so much soup?" he lazily asked. "It's not like your fridge is never full."

"I felt like getting it is why," Beast Boy retorted, his voice lacking his usual enthusiasm. "The clothes are in the other bag, I guess." Beast Boy turned his attention back to the game, noting that while he'd been distracted, Cyborg had pulled ahead of him by a minor margin.

Noctis continued rummaging through the bag, pulling out shirt after shirt after pants. "Beast Boy?" he once more called out. "Did you remember what I asked for?"

Beast Boy paused the game before answering. "You said medium shirt and pants, thirty-two inch waist."

"What else did I say?" Noctis pushed. "Hint: It's about the coloring."

"Black or dark brown," Beast Boy said after a moment.

"And…?"

"And what?"

Noctis sighed. Of course this would happen. "I also said no designs."

"Oh. Umm… Oops? Sorry?"

"Whatever," Noctis grumbled. "I'll just go to the store tomorrow." He silently walked back into the guest room, wanting to shower and get his clothes washed before going to a public place like the mall.

* * *

Raven was frustrated. It was an uncomfortable feeling, this frustration, especially because it was directed not at Beast Boy, but at herself. So great was this frustration that simple meditation wasn't going to suffice. Sighing, she rose from her bed and grabbed the mirror from her nightstand. Staring into it, she felt the familiar sensation of weightlessness as she entered the realm of her mind - Nevermore, inspired by that poem by Poe. She felt a spike in her frustration.

Looking around, she saw that nothing had changed since her last visit. Deep reds mixed with despairing shades of black to create an eerie feeling of occultism. Raven sat down and waited. The people she wanted to talk to knew she was there, and they would come to her. Closing her eyes, she decided to relax before the upcoming conversations.

Time in Nevermore is discontinuous - what feels like an hour may in truth be a second, and what feels like a second might actually be days. As such, it was after an indeterminate amount of time that Raven was alerted to the presence of one of the people she needed to speak with.

"Hey Rave!" a voice nearly identical to Raven's exuberantly greeted. It would have been identical, if not for the fact that it was filled with elation. "Whatcha doin' here?"

Raven opened her eyes and found herself staring at a replica of herself. The only visible difference between the two was that Raven was wearing a blue cloak, whereas her replica was clad in pink. "Happy," Raven stated. "I'm looking for the source of my frustration that I've been feeling for the past two days."

A yellow-clad Raven floated in, blinking into existence a few feet away. "I've already ruled out Beast Boy. He's behaving no differently towards us," the new Raven announced.

"I came to a similar conclusion, Knowledge, though for a different reason," Raven agreed. "This frustration is directed at myself. Or at least, some part of myself."

"Might be me and Rage following the Dr. Light incident," a green Raven suggested. "I'm still annoyed that Rage got so out of control."

"It may be that, Brave, but I don't think so. I know what your frustration feels like when it's directed at Rage, and this doesn't… feel the same."

"Perhaps it may be my fault," a new replica announced. One that Raven didn't recognize - one whose cloak was not a solid color, but was instead a mixture of black and white swirling, but not mixing.

"What are you?" Raven icily demanded. Even with her mind divided as it was, it was still disconcerting to realize that there was a part of your mind that you didn't know existed.

"Morality. Right, wrong. I tell you whether you made the right choice or the wrong choice, and there's something that I've been having difficulty figuring out. It's driving Curiosity absolutely insane," the yin-yang looking Morality explained.

"Yeah," yet another emoticlone agreed, this one dressed in a very pale lilac colored cloak. "Curiosity here, and she, that is, Morality, absolutely refuses to believe that it was perfectly natural, expected, and above all, the right thing to do to ask Noctis about armageddon prophecies."

"And here we get to the root of the problem," sneered an orange Raven.

The original Raven sighed. "Alright. Everyone except Curiosity and Morality, go away. You're distracting me."

Grumbling amongst themselves, the emoticlones dispersed and vanished, leaving behind Raven, Curiosity, and Morality. "I really should have separated frustration," Raven muttered to herself. "Letting each of you get frustrated is really more trouble than it's worth."

"You tried that, remember?" Morality said. "Frustration tore herself apart trying to stay frustrated with everyone for everyone."

Raven in fact did not remember. "Regardless, that's beside the point. I need to find out why you two are so frustrated with eachother."

"It's actually really really simple," Curiosity started. "She can't decide whether it was morally right or wrong to ask Noctis about armageddon prophecies. I'm telling her that it was the right thing to do because it was the natural thing to do. She thinks that just because something is natural doesn't mean it's right. She's overthinking the situation."

"No, you're not giving it enough thought," Morality countered. Raven sighed. Was this really what her mind was like? Her mental problems have mental problems.

"Can you both agree that because nothing bad happened, it was the right thing to do? That if Noctis had given a more direct response, I wouldn't be so in the dark anymore? That it would have given me direction?"

Curiosity immediately nodded, giving her agreement. Raven could see the gears turning in Morality's head, before she too assented. "Great," Raven continued. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to eat."

"We know," Curiosity smirked as Raven stalked away and left Nevermore.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Raven found herself in the comfortable confines of her room. A glance at the clock told her that Cyborg and Beast Boy would be arguing over who would cook later on. Breathing deeply, she grabbed a book and departed from her room. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, it wasn't actually that incredibly healthy for her to stay cooped up in her room all the time.

Pulling her cowl up, she prepared herself for a hectic scene as she opened the door to the common room. To her pleasant surprise, however, she was greeted with a serene silence was very rare at the tower. Stepping into the room, she looked around. Noctis appeared to be dozing on a chair in the corner, Beast Boy was playing one of his stupid video games, Cyborg was cooking, and both Robin and Starfire were nowhere to be found.

"Robin still out?" she asked as she sat down on one of the unoccupied couches. On a sidenote, Raven didn't know why they had so many couches and chairs in the common room. They legitimately had more chairs and couches than people, and it's not like Robin let other people in frequently. Noctis was an exception, not the norm.

"Yup. Shocker, Star's with him, if you were wondering," Beast Boy answered.

Raven nodded and opened her book, glancing sidelong at Noctis. _How is he sleeping already?_ _If I'd slept as long as he did I doubt I'd be able to sleep until at least tomorrow,_ she mused. To her great regret, Beast Boy saw the glance.

"What, does the emotionless Raven have a crush on Noctis?" he teased playfully, ignoring the icy glare she shot him. "I mean, it does make sense, actually. He's dark and scary, you're dark and scary."

"I do _not_ have a crush on Noctis," Raven coldly disagreed. "I was merely curious as to how it's possible that he's sleeping again. Even you don't sleep as much as he has."

"I don't think he's actually sleeping," Beast Boy tried to explain. "I mean, he did say something about sleeping whenever the opportunity arose, but he also said something about organizing his memories or something."

"I am working on separating my memories and prophecies," Noctis clarified. "My mind is like a library, and my memories and prophecies are like books. All of them are shelved, but the shelves tend towards disorganization. When they are disorderly, it is difficult for me to determine if a memory is something that has actually happened, or if it is a vision of what may yet come."

"I have no idea what you just said, but it sounds cool, so awesome!" Beast Boy said. Raven and Noctis both glared at him in response.

"What it means, Best Boy, is be quiet. I'm trying to concentrate," Noctis elaborated with a sigh. It was only then that it registered in Raven's mind that Noctis was dressed only in a white bathrobe.

"Noctis, would you mind putting some pants on?" Raven delicately asked.

"I would love to, but my clothes are getting washed right now, and I refuse to wear what Beast Boy picked up."

"Oh," Raven said, dropping the matter.

The three sat in silence that was neither comfortable nor awkward, waiting for Cyborg to finish cooking. That silence was broken with a high pitched hiss when a door opened, revealing Starfire and Robin.

"Glorious news, friends!" Starfire happily exclaimed. "Robin has woken up and has a discovery to share!"

"Oh, goodie," Raven sarcastically muttered. "Announcement time. What fun."

"Just tell us now, Robin. The suspense is practically killing me," Noctis nearly begged. Only nearly. Prophets don't beg.

"After the events of today, I've made a decision. Obviously, there are people who want to use you, Noctis. Before, I was uncertain, but I realize now that my uncertainty was unfounded."

"Get on with it, Robin. Don't beat around the bush," Noctis urged.

"I asked myself: What would be the best way to keep Noctis safe?" Robin continued, clearly enjoying the suspense he was building. "I concluded that the easiest and most effective way to keep Noctis safe would be to keep him in the tower. However, that is untenable - I can't justify keeping someone locked up for their own safety."

"Spit it out, man,' Cyborg interrupted. "Can't you see nobody really cares about your thought process on this one?"

"Right. Well. Noctis. I would like to formally extend an invitation to you to join us - that is, the Teen Titans, here in Titan Tower," Robin finished.

Everyone stopped moving. Every _thing_ stopped moving. If Noctis dropped a pin, he would've been able to hear it. Eventually, he broke the silence. "What's the catch?" he slowly asked. "What if I refuse?"

"Then we let you leave with a communicator as an honorary Titan, and offer to help if you ever need it," Robin explained. "Not as ideal. That was Plan B."

"There aren't any major commitments to joining, right? No contracts, that sort of thing?" Noctis continued.

"If you join, you can leave almost anytime, and we'll switch over to Plan B."

Noctis leaned forward and crossed his fingers in front of his mouth. He closed his eyes and sat silently as he mulled over the offer. As far as he could see, there were no downsides. He didn't have any prior commitments, and these guys were clearly capable of taking care of themselves. And they knew what they were getting into.

"Sorry," he apologized after a few minutes of silence. "It's just, whenever I see an offer that has no downside, I'm naturally suspicious. Brings to mind a quote. 'Life is pain, princess. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something.' But I graciously accept your invitation."

"Excellent. Cyborg, how much longer until whatever you're cooking is done?" Robin asked.

"Should be just a moment," the metal man responded.

Beast Boy sidled over to Noctis, a mischievous look in his eyes. "So, Noctis. If you're gonna be one of us, you're gonna need a uniform. Any ideas on what you're gonna use? 'Cause I got some stuff you might be able to use…"

Noctis looked at Beast Boy. "I have an idea, but I need materials. Black synthetic cloth and leather. About thirty pounds each."

"Thirty pounds? Dude, you're not going to be able to do anything if you're wearing sixty pounds of uniform!" Beast Boy said, shocked.

"I need extra for multiple uniforms…" Noctis sighed. "Honestly, is there anything between your ears other than empty space?"

Meanwhile, Cyborg and Robin were in the kitchen having a private conversation away from the others. "Look man, I don't know what you're planning, but why'd you change your mind?" Cyborg demanded.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, confused.

"I mean, why are you suddenly so accepting of Noctis? One fight where he doesn't even do anything is not the sort of thing to change your mind."

Robin sighed. Of all the titans, it would've been Cyborg to pick up on the drastic shift in his attitude. Starfire was too naive, Beast Boy too oblivious, and Raven too respecting of his privacy to ask. "I figured out who's after him."

"Alright. So why ask him to join us? Not that I'm complaining, he seems like a pretty cool guy. But this is abnormal for you," Cyborg pushed.

"It's Slade."

"Oh. Of course it would be. Hey, you're not planning on doing what I think you are," Cyborg warned.

"That depends entirely on what you think I'm doing," Robin countered.

"You're planning on using him as bait to draw Slade out, aren't you?"

* * *

 **A/N: Reviews are like cookies - you can never have enough of 'em. (hint hint)**

 **They're also like cookies in that you don't like to share them, and that makes me sad.**

 **Credit where credit's due: "Life is pain, princess. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something." is from The Princess Bride.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. It makes me sad, but I'd probably ruin it if I did.**


	4. Doing His Glowy-Eyes Thing

"Noctis, could I have a word with you?" Cyborg asked, poking his head into the guest room.

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?" the pale teen responded, setting down a needle and strip of cloth.

"Later on Robin wants to have a training session," Cyborg began. "He's gonna want to know what you're capable of - your powers, your strengths, weaknesses, that sort of thing. Just wanted to give you a heads up so you could think of what to say."

Noctis picked up his needle. "Thanks, Cy."

"No problem," the cybernetic said as he left the guest room.

It was the day after Noctis accepted Robin's invitation to join the Titans. That evening, Noctis had gone out to buy some much needed supplies: namely clothes and materials for his uniform. He had an idea in mind, but the materials he needed for an actual high-quality uniform, like Beast Boy's Doom Patrol outfit would take the better part of a month to arrive. As such, he would have to make do with normal cloth and leather.

Having finished with the last stitch on the first uniform, he slipped into it and stood in front of a full body mirror. It was a bit snug, but for the most part it gave him complete mobility. He cast a critical eye over his appearance in the mirror.

He was clad in a deep black one-piece uniform that seemed to mix with shadows, making him nearly invisible in them. There was leather padding on his elbows, shoulders, forearms, chest, abdomen, thighs, knees, and shins. Experimentally, he wrapped the final piece around his shoulders - a cloak that matched his uniform, held on by a spiral brooch. Satisfied that he was presentable, Noctis folded the cloak around himself and strode out the door to enter the common room, this time remembering to open it first.

Entering the common room, which he was informed was officially titled the Ops room, Noctis was surprised to find the room void of occupants. Shrugging, he went over to the kitchen to find something to eat. Opening the fridge, he looked inside and shouted in surprise and disgust. It was a very high pitched shout - nearly a shriek, but prophets don't shriek. Not out of fear or surprise, anyways. Though the fuzzy blue mold that looked suspiciously like it had a face was creepy.

"There's a reason everyone's content to let Cyborg get stuff out of the fridge," Robin said, causing Noctis to flinch.

Pressing a hand to his chest, Noctis spun to face the Boy Wonder. "Could you possibly make any less noise?" he asked in an exasperated tone. "You almost scared me half to death."

Smirking, Robin raised his eyebrows in mock disbelief. At least, the shape of his mask indicated that his eyebrows were raised. The fact that the mask covered them made it difficult for Noctis to tell.

Recovering, Noctis continued. "Cyborg said that you want me for training?" Slowly, and very carefully so as to not disturb the blue fuzz that had gained sentience, he reached into the fridge and pulled out a box of leftover takeout. Opening the box, he glanced in and almost retched. "Seriously, this fridge is more disgusting than a landfill," he complained.

Robin said nothing, merely grabbing the box and throwing it in the trash. "C'mon. The others are already there," he said, grabbing Noctis's wrist and leading him away. As he did so, he noticed Noctis's new uniform. "Nice look. What's it made out of?"

"Cotton and linen, with leather padding. I couldn't get any high density polymers or synthetic materials on short notice, sadly."

"Good quality materials, synthetic polymers," Robin commented, bringing Noctis into the elevator.

"Where are we going?" Noctis asked.

"Training room. While we're walking, there are some things we need to discuss. What are your limitations? Where do you excel, where do you fall behind? It shouldn't be too incredibly important that we know exactly what you can do for the first run, seeing as we'll tailor it to you."

"So what you're looking for is a… rough overview?" Noctis asked, seeking confirmation.

Robin nodded. "Pretty much."

"I've always put greater emphasis on protecting myself than on harming my opponent, but I will strike when an opportunity presents itself. Is that sufficient for now?"

Robin nodded as the elevator opened, revealing a large window overlooking an even larger room. Seated on chairs facing the window were Raven and Beast Boy, while Cyborg was seated in front of a screen that looked suspiciously like a control station.

"I count five people, including myself. Last I checked, there were six of us, total," Noctis commented. "Where's Starfire?"

Beast Boy pointed at the window, causing Noctis to walk up and peer through it. Starfire was in the room on the other side, if it could be called a room. It was very large - it extended to either side for a good hundred feet, was at least half that length to the far wall, and the ceiling rested at least forty feet above the floor. Wall mounted laser turrets peeked out of hidden recesses in the walls, firing away at the redhead as she flew with acrobatic grace around the glowing projectiles.

"So what exactly is the goal here?" Noctis asked his companions.

"Right now she's destroying all the turrets as fast as she can," Cyborg explained. "After that, it'll be an obstacle course."

"I see," Noctis replied. "What are you planning on having me do?"

"Pretty much the exact same thing," Cyborg started.

"No, actually," Robin interrupted. "You mentioned that defense is your strong suit, so I want to see how long you can last with the turrets up."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Cy questioned. "It'll be difficult to tell when he's reaching his limits for his first time."

"I'm sure."

"As you command, so it shall be," the half robot sarcastically replied, glancing at the screen in front of him. "Star's going at it today. She's a minute ahead of her average. At this rate, she might set a new record."

"Personal or Titan?" Beast Boy chimed.

"You know the answer to that," Raven muttered. "She set the group record." Beast Boy nervously chuckled.

An alert popped up on the screen, grabbing everyone's attention. "Holy…" Cyborg whispered. Pressing a button, a microphone extended out from the wall, and he leaned towards it. "That's it, Star. All two-hundred. And, though it pains me to admit it, you set a new record."

Starfire flew up to the window and smiled at the occupants before darting out of the room through a door that Noctis did not see in his initial survey of the room. Half a minute later, the elevator doors opened with a ding and a beaming Starfire stepped out.

"Oh, Noctis, it is most exhilarating in the training room!" she exclaimed gleefully. "I cannot wait to see how you whoop the butt when it is your turn!" Turning to Cyborg, she continued in a somewhat calmer manner. "Friend Cyborg, what was my time?"

"Two minutes, thirty-four seconds. Fifty-two seconds faster than the previous record," he glumly said. "Now how am I gonna beat ya?" Starfire merely giggled.

"Raven, you wanna go next? Let Noctis get an idea of what he'll be doing?" Robin suggested.

"If I must," the mage answered. Tendrils of dark energy wrapped themselves around the girl and started sinking into the floor. When they disappeared, so too had Raven. Before Noctis could even be surprised, she reappeared in the room below in a similar manner, the shadows unravelling to form the shape of a raven.

"Fancy," Noctis simply said. A beeping from the console in front of Cyborg drew his attention, and he saw a window with what seemed to be Raven's vitals. He noted with some surprise that her heart rate was ridiculously low - a mere thirty-eight beats per minute. Cyborg's fingers danced across the screen, and Raven's vitals were shifted over to the side as a large schematic expanded and took up the bulk of the screen.

Bringing the microphone closer to his face, Cyborg spoke. "Alright Raven, I'm about to start. Ready?" Raven responded with a nod, barely perceptible to Noctis. However, Cyborg saw it, having known what to look for. His fingers darted around swiftly, and Raven's session began.

* * *

It was a standard start to any session - Cyborg started with a large double-barrel turret dropping out of the ceiling, its gears whirring as it tracked Raven. When it fired, Raven nimbly leapt backwards, dodging the blasts as they created twin smoking scorch marks on the ground where she had been standing. Immediately following that, two smaller, single-barrel turrets rose out of the floor on opposite ends of the room, unleashing a volley of missiles before they even rose to their full height.

In response, Raven swiped her hand in front of her, creating a streak of dark energy that floated in the air before her, absorbing the glowing laser blasts. She had to remind herself that this was an endurance run, barely stopping herself from ripping the two smaller turrets out and throwing them at the large turret. Eyes glowing, she took to the air as a standard fully automatic turret burst out of the wall and spat out a barrage of hellfire rounds. Sidestepping the deadly hail, Noctis was surprised to see the rounds exploding as they came into contact with the wall across the room.

It was at this point that Noctis realized the observation room had moved, gliding along a track in the ceiling and coming to a stop in the middle of the training room, providing an uninhibited view of the entirety of the room below. Noctis watched as Raven moved with the fluidity and grace of a dancer or gymnast, weaving in between constantly increasing volleys of bullets and lasers. "So it's like a real life bullet hell," he commented.

"Pretty much," Beast Boy agreed, his eyes glued to Raven. "Cy, you gonna do the thing soon?"

"Soon, Grass Stain," the metal man replied, his eyes never leaving the screen in front of him as he manipulated the turrets below.

Raven had just evaded an entire clip from a chain gun, the bullets penetrating several inches into the walls when another turret emerged from the ceiling spraying grenades all around the room. Raven surrounded herself in a dome of crackling dark energy, anticipating explosions. When none came for several seconds, and the unending hail of bullets ceased, she lowered the shield.

A hiss grabbed her attention and she spun, her eyes landing on a grenade that was spewing a dense smoke into the room. "This is new," she muttered as she confirmed that all of the grenades were spewing a similar smoke.

The sensitive sensors in the room picked up the slight vibrations of her voice and transmitted them to the control room, as Noctis decided to call it. Looking at Robin, he raised an eyebrow, silently asking a question. Robin noticed the look and shrugged.

"I've asked Cy to introduce surprises to the program. Trains us to deal with unexpected situations, should the need arise," he explained. Noctis nodded, focusing on Raven again, only to turn to Cyborg when the cybernetic spoke.

"Turning on IR vision and targeting."

"What's IR?" Beast Boy asked, confused.

"Infrared, you grass stain," Cyborg answered with a sigh. "Honestly, do you pay any attention?"

The turret that Cyborg directed to come out of the wall must have made some sort of noise, or the smoke must have thinned enough for Raven to be able to detect a hint of movement, because she leapt to the side as a laser shot through the smoky chamber, scorching the ground at her feet. With a groan, she rolled to her feet, dark energy gathering in a sphere around her. With a shout, she threw her limbs wide, her cloak billowing out behind her, revealing her feminine form.

The energy shot away from her, dispersing the smoke and funneling it into a portal, allowing her to see clearly once more. Just in time, too, because a moment later a barrage of hellfire rounds were loosed from yet another turret that dropped in from the ceiling. Dark energy encased the bullets and they exploded, creating a miniature flak cloud in the room.

"How many turrets are there?" Noctis wondered aloud.

"For endurance runs, we usually run up to about seventy," Cyborg replied. "Any more and I have difficulty controlling them."

"How many is she currently at?"

"She's about halfway there."

Noctis cast an appraising eye over the armaments in the room. There were several automatic turrets spitting out hellfire rounds, about twice as many repeating laser turrets, and a handful of large laser blasters. There were also a couple extremely loud high caliber guns that fired occasionally, but their blasts always left a large dent in the floor. He began planning how he would handle the threats.

Capable of moving between shadows nearly instantaneously, he knew that he would be able to dodge the kinetic rounds. The energy turrets would be a problem, though. The lasers were moving so fast that he would have no time to react - he would have to predict them, and when he didn't know where each of them would come from, it would be only a short time before he would be struck.

An idea entered his head as he saw Raven teleport once more, sinking into the floor and reappearing on the opposite side of the room. Cyborg then said something, distracting him.

"Are you going to do it now?" Beast Boy excitedly jabbered.

"That's what I just said, isn't it?" Cyborg proceeded to type in a code, bringing up a new schematic - this one of a gun and not the room. Pressing a green button, a large hatch in the ceiling opened up and a giant turret slowly emerged from the darkness, whirring as it rotated and traced Raven's movement.

A moment later, there was a resounding boom as the cannon fired, unleashing superheated sphere of molten iron at Raven. The blue haired girl leapt to the side, throwing up a shield as she did so. The glowing metal embedded itself in the ground, exploding in a spray of liquid iron that coated both her shield and the floor surrounding the impact point. Raven glared at the control room before disappearing into the floor.

"Looks like she's done," Cyborg muttered disappointedly. "Seven minutes, thirty-eight seconds." Resetting the room, Noctis watched in shock as the scorch marks disappeared, dents vanished, and bullet casings were swept away, all done as if by an invisible hand.

Seeing Noctis's shock, Cyborg chuckled.

"We use a hybrid between holographic and physical training obstacles. Basically, in a nutshell, the turrets are real, the munitions are not. That's why it's difficult to control more than seventy turrets - not," Cyborg smirked, "that anyone's gotten that far."

"Room looks about ready," Robin interjected. "Take the elevator down," he directed Noctis.

* * *

Noctis stepped out of the elevator and almost immediately regretted his decision. Sure, the lasers and bullets weren't real, but the turrets sure as hell were. And the chamber appeared a lot larger from the floor than it did from the control room. His footsteps echoed on the metal floor loudly.

"We're ready to start," Cyborg's voice rang out, echoing in the large and as of yet empty room.

"Start it now, before I come to my senses," Noctis muttered.

There was a hiss as two hatches opened up on either side of Noctis, and two turrets emerged from within. With a low whirring sound, they rotated, locking in on Noctis and unleashing a hail of glowing lasers. Noctis dove to the side, narrowly avoiding getting clipped in the leg as he rolled to his feet. A clanking sound from behind alerted him to the presence of another turret.

With a series of clicks, the new turret spat out a barrage of hellfire rounds at Noctis. Instead of hitting him, though, the bullets passed through him, embedding themselves in the wall.

"That's new," Robin murmured. "Cy, please tell me that he didn't just get hit by those."

"System's saying that there was some kind of temporal disturbance around the bullets as they neared Noctis. No, they didn't hit him."

"Wonder how he did that," Robin continued in a quiet tone.

Noctis was wondering as well, though not about how he phased through the hellfire rounds. Instead, the prophet was trying to figure out how the hell he was going to last another minute, let alone the next five seconds. Frankly, Raven had made it look a hell of a lot easier than it really was, he wryly noted. Unfortunately, he ran out of time before he could think of a plan of action when a bullet whizzed past his ear.

"Rude," he muttered as he leapt out of the way of the following rounds. Raising his hand towards the hellfire turret, he clenched his fist. Shadows extended from the ground and walls, creeping swiftly to coat the turret and blind its tracking mechanisms. He cursed when it unleashed another salvo with pinpoint accuracy.

"Really, Cy?" he asked, frustrated. "Can't even let me disable one?" He was distracted when a hissing sound indicated the arrival of more turrets that demanded his attention. "Why did I agree to this?"

* * *

Several minutes later, Noctis was lying down on the floor of the control room with Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Robin eyeing him with concern.

"You know, most people, namely sane people, would stop the session after taking a bullet through the leg," Cyborg commented offhandedly.

"Obviously I'm not like most people," Noctis darkly retorted.

"I realized that," Cyborg continued in a manner far too cheerful to be fitting for the conversation. "It became quite apparent when the laser hit you in the chest, bounced off a hellfire round, and tore through yo - "

"Enough!" Noctis complained, interrupting Cyborg. "Can't you see that I'm absolutely miserable right now?" he added with a groan. "Your hybrid system thing is extremely good at mimicking pain…"

Cyborg smirked, but relented in his teasing. Robin turned to another screen that had appeared during Noctis's session, already analyzing Noctis's technique and ways to improve upon it. "We'll have to have a discussion later," he said aloud, not really directing it at anyone. "Regarding what exactly it is that you do."

Noctis drew in an unsteady breath, releasing it with an explosive puff. "Of course we… will," he sarcastically murmured. "But for now… I just want… sleep…" His head rolled to the side, and his breathing slowly evened out at a slow pace.

Robin sighed. "Beast Boy, would you mind taking him to a bed? I need to discuss some things with Cyborg here. Star, would you mind finding Raven? I think she might have some insights that Cy and I will miss regarding his powers." Beast Boy groaned, but rose to his feet and unceremoniously threw Noctis's unconscious form over his shoulder. Cargo in tow, he entered the elevator, followed closely by Starfire.

As the elevator door slid closed, Robin rewinded the recording and replayed it in slow motion, his perceptive eyes missing little. "Someone either trained him, or he's learned from a lot of mistakes," he said, stopping the tape. "Right here - he's made a lot of dives, but the only damage he's sustained is from being grazed by bullets and lasers. He knows how to land."

Cyborg nodded. "There's something I noticed, too. It sorta reinforces that thought." Slowly, he wound forward to a point where Noctis was taking fire from several directions. "See here," Cy continued. "He's completely hemmed in, with the exception of his four o'clock. But there's a chain gun that's about to open fire there, essentially turning it into a trap that he wouldn't have noticed without constant awareness of the environment. Watch what he does."

He pressed the play button, taking the footage frame by frame. The turrets spat out bullets and lasers, almost pinning him except for behind him and to his right. A chain gun emerged from the wall, taking aim tangential to the opening. Noctis dropped to the ground and lunged forwards, away from the trap and into a direction with fewer incoming projectiles.

"How long did it take him to decide where to go, and was it a mistake or did he deliberately go there?" Robin asked.

Cyborg rewinded the footage once more, playing it back in real time. It took less than two seconds between the projectiles leaving the barrels of their respective turrets and Noctis landing on his shoulder and rolling to absorb the impact. "Exactly point-five-six seconds between perception and action," the metal titan said. "There's no way that sort of decision making and risk analysis wasn't developed."

"Especially coupled with his awareness of his surroundings…" Robin added in a quiet voice. "Seeing that he wouldn't get out of there unharmed before all of the threats even presented themselves. Then, on top of that, 'escaping' in the direction where any bullets that hit him would be in non-fatal or non-incapacitating locations, even though there were more… appealing options."

"I'm not entirely sure why I even ran that sequence," Cyborg admitted, muttering. "If it were Raven, she would've just blocked them. You would have deflected them, Starfire would've just taken the bullets - they don't really do too incredibly much to her, and Beast Boy would've become something big enough that the bullets wouldn't affect him."

Robin rewinded the footage and replayed it again. And again. And again. Frowning, he paused it again at the trap, trying to figure out how Noctis even knew that the chain gun would cut off his escape. He sighed, seeing no physical indicator. It would have to wait until later, when they could have a full discussion.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Without turning around, Robin spoke. "Raven, take a look at thi - "

"Dude, you've got to see this!" Beast Boy interrupted frantically. "Noctis went all weird glowy eyes again andstartedsayingrandomthingsandRaven'swithhimandshelooksconcerned," he babbled nearly incoherently.

Robin shot to his feet and entered the elevator with Cyborg close behind. Impatiently, he pressed the button to go to the top floor, where Beast Boy would have taken Noctis. Abnormally, he was fidgeting, his foot tapping quietly on the floor as the elevator accelerated upwards. After what felt like an eternity, but in reality was merely fifteen seconds or so, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, revealing a disconcerting scene, to say the least.

To start with, Noctis was a hunched over on his hands and knees, wisps of silver energy rising from the corners of his eyes. Raven was crouched over him, one hand on his shoulder as she listened intently to the words that he was spouting - words that echoed unnaturally in the room. Starfire hovered nearby, a worried look on her face. The lighting in the room itself was also contributing to the bizarre situation, in that they were flickering like candles despite being fluorescent bulbs.

Robin rushed over to Noctis, but an extended hand from Raven stopped him just out of reach. "Wait. Listen," she silently mouthed to him. Robin tilted his head, angling his ears so that he could better hear Noctis.

" _... daughter of Earth approaches… With stony heart must choice be made, to grind to dust or train with blade… Wandering exile self-imposed, for fear she runs from friend and foe… Primordial power in her veins, wild destruction be her bane… Cursed by nature - doomed by fate, her soul be burdened by great weight… Titanic courage see her plight, titanic action cure her blight… Born of stone and weather tempered, by dark or darker be she mentored…"_

Noctis fell silent, rolling onto his side. Robin stared at Raven, who stared back. Nothing moved, other than the lights ceasing their abnormal behavior. After a period of silence, Beast Boy stepped forward and broke the silence.

"Uhh… I don't know about you guys, but I've got a really bad feeling…"

* * *

 **A/N: Yay... I finally start to reveal Noctis's abilities to the Titans, only to realize I'm not quite entirely sure what his abilities really... are... Sorry about that. Titans know, you guys don't, that's some sort of literary device I think. Also, first prophecy that's entirely my own.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. As I write this, I can't think of any ideas I borrowed to write this chapter, but if there are some in there that I'm missing, I don't own their franchise either.**

 **P.S. Reviews are still like cookies, and I have a... shall we say, sweet tooth. (Nudge nudge wink wink)**


	5. Shui and Slade

Tendrils of two energies, one a silvery translucent white, the other an abyssal black swirled endlessly, mixing in a manner that both blended and separated the two. Noctis could vaguely hear a voice, but it was faint and far away, the words unintelligible. Glancing around, Noctis noticed the bizarre environment surrounding him, little vortexes of prophetic energy swirling around him, calling him, enticing him…

Noctis sighed. More accurately, he tried to. His body refused to follow suit, and looking down, it became apparent why - he had no body. Mentally groaning, memories flooded back into his head. Memories of his previous trips to the Realm of Prophecy - an unending dimension filled with infinite energy and the essence of each and every prophecy to have ever existed in any dimension.

He was unsure exactly what it was that drew him here, but it had been years since his conscious mind had last visited this strange and mysterious realm that held the roots of the past, present, and future. He remembered his mentor once mention that there were _Children_ of Prophecy and that there were Children of _Prophecy_. He never learned the difference between the two, though, because said mentor believed that it was a distinction that he would need to learn himself.

Still, he found himself wondering why it was that he was here, surrounded by an endless whirlpool of prophetic energy swirling in a chaotic manner that just screamed entropy. And he was also wondering about that faint voice he was hearing. It was familiar, he knew that much - but he couldn't quite lay his finger on it, to his great chagrin and regret.

He was unsure how long he floated there. Like Raven's Nevermore, time passed uncertainly in the Realm of Prophecy, though the similarity was unknown to Noctis. Deciding that there was a reason for his vacation, so to speak, Noctis settled in and waited for… something to happen. He didn't know what he was waiting for, but somehow knew what it would be when he saw it.

With that expectation, it was with great surprise, then, that his surroundings suddenly and instantly intensified into a blindingly bright light. Had Noctis had a physical body, he was certain that it would have been vaporized by the incredible measure of energy that simply surrounded him. Somehow peering into the brightness, he realized he could make out an image of… a face, it looked like. Sandy blonde hair framed a narrow female face with a thin nose. Dark eyebrows rested above large, dark blue eyes, and a smirk rested on her face below the nose. The only abnormally remarkable detail was the presence of a yellow energy surrounding her face, as well as a faint glow in the corner of her eyes..

Momentarily, the image faded, but Noctis could still see it clearly in his mind's eye. Instinctively, he knew it was a face he could never forget, even if he wanted to. When the vision completely disappeared, the intense light immediately gave way to a crushing darkness. With that blackness came a sensation of weight - of being.

Sensations flooded him - the press of his clothes upon his skin, the force of his back upon the floor. The sound of the miniscule vibrations that exist for unknown reasons, creating a sort of white noise usually too silent to be heard. Cracking open his eyes, he immediately slammed them shut at the intensity of the light around him. Frowning, he raised his hand in search of a lightswitch. When it fell back down with a muffled thud he became aware of its incredible weight.

Concerned, he tried opening his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light in his surroundings, wherever he was. Even opening them just a crack, though, proved to be too much for his sensitive pupils to handle, and they screamed in agony. Groaning, he sat up. As the vibrations of his groan rumbled in his chest, his ears picked it up as thunder and he flinched, though the sound quickly faded to an amenable volume.

"You're awake," a dry, feminine voice said. A familiar voice. One that he knew he should know. But for the life of him, he couldn't place it.

"Where am I?" Noctis asked, buying time in an attempt to recognize the unseen speaker. He was unsure if she was friend or foe, but the calm manner in which his body responded to her presence indicated she was no enemy.

"You're in your room," she answered, a hint of confusion in her voice. "The one Cy was going to reveal to you after training." Cy. Cy was short for something, wasn't it? Cy, Cy, Cy… What followed Cy? He couldn't think.

"Can you turn the lights off? They're incredibly bright," Noctis requested, one heavy hand resting over his eyes. Unbeknownst to him, a frown appeared on his visitors face.

"Noctis…" she began. Something about that name felt right, but something about it felt inherently wrong. Like many things, though, he couldn't quite figure out what it was. "The lights are out," his visitor finished. "In fact, I don't think it could get any darker unless I encased the entire room in my energy."

"Please… Do it," Noctis practically begged. Something about the unknown visitor was comforting, but he didn't know why. Damn it, this sense of familiarity was driving him insane. Following his request, there was a quiet sound of a voice muttering.

"It's done. Try opening your eyes now," his visitor murmured. Noctis removed his arm from his face and slowly cracked his eyes open. Instead of that blinding light, he found himself in a room colored in varying tones of grey. It still seemed abnormally bright, but he could handle the intensity right now. Looking around, he saw his visitor floating above the floor cross legged.

"Great," she muttered. "Now even I can't see a thing."

"But I see you," Noctis commented, his memories returning with his sight. He looked at Raven, whom he now recognized for who she was. Memories flooded back - the Titans, the training room, jumping out of Beast Boy's grip and collapsing on the floor…

 _Oh. Shit._ He had gone full prophet mode, hadn't he. Not just recounting a prophecy, but actually giving his own. Panicking, he ran through his mind, searching for what his mentor taught him, but coming up blank.

Raven picked up on his emotional state. "Are you alright, Noctis?" she asked into the darkness. She could sense where he was, but only through her powers - not with her sight. It was so dark that not even her half-demon eyes could penetrate the blackness.

Receiving no response, she floated over to where he lay on his bed and placed a hand on her forehead. Forcefully, she centered herself and pushed a wave of calming energy over her panicking companion. She felt him instantly relax, the tension leaving his body as he fell into a deep sleep.

Pulling out her communicator, Raven spoke with a tone of worry in her voice. "Guys, we might have a problem…"

The four remaining Titans were soon gathered outside of Noctis's room. They would have entered, except for the seal of black energy preventing the door from opening. As they stood outside the room, wondering what would happen next, a pool of crackling dark energy appeared on the floor beside them, and Raven's figure rose from the inky blackness.

"Based off of preliminary scans of Noctis's psyche," she began in a calm, steady voice that demanded their attention. "I am quite certain that this was unlike any other prophetic event Noctis has had. At least, not recently."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, actually somewhat concerned.

Raven took a deep breath. This was going to be difficult. "My conclusions are primarily speculations drawn from the short time he was awake and a shallow scan of his mind. However, in that shallow scan I found that he was searching his memories for something. What it is, I cannot say, but it seemed to cause him to panic."

"Furthermore," she continued, "He is painfully sensitive to light right now. Again, I cannot say for whatever reason, but that is why I will not open his door. His vision is incredibly sensitive…"

"How sensitive are we talking here?" Beast Boy piped up.

In response, dark energy surrounded the group, plunging them into a blackness so complete that none of them could see beyond the edge of their noses, with the exception of Cyborg's robotic eye. "Let's just say," Raven's voice pierced through the darkness. "That he could see me clearly from a dozen feet away with this lighting. And I have no idea how."

Cyborg spoke up at this point. "Biologically, it should be impossible for anyone to see anyone here. There are practically no waves in the electromagnetic spectrum within the range of visible frequencies present. I'm actually literally detecting none."

"So what can we do for our friend?" Starfire asked. "Surely we cannot do nothing!"

"Whatever we do, it won't be right now. I'm considering probing deeper into his mind, but I don't like the idea. It's an invasion of his privacy to the utmost degree."

"It pains me to do nothing while our friend suffers," Starfire murmured, her eyes downcast. Raven nodded, though only Cyborg saw, before she disappeared into the floor. The moment she was gone, the energy surrounding them dispersed, and they were once more standing speechlessly in the brightly lit hallway.

It was Beast Boy who broke the awkward silence, much to the surprise of no one. "So… Anyone know what what he said meant?"

* * *

Back in Noctis's room, the feeling of hopelessness was even more crushing to the one conscious occupant. Raven floated above a chair that was pressed against the wall of the room, silently meditating in preparation to probe his mind. Though she didn't actually enter Nevermore, she was closer in this state than she normally was to her emotions, and she could hear them shouting out to her.

' _C'mon, Rae! While you're in there you should take a look around, see what he's got under the hood!_ ' Brave shouted, causing Raven to visibly wince.

' _No,_ ' she firmly stated, hoping to end that train of thought. Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed when another voice joined in.

' _You know you want to_ ,' Curious added. ' _It frustrates you to no end that he's just as mysterious as you are. Now you know what the others feel like about you…'_

' _I am going in there to find out what's wrong with him and if I can help him. That's all I'm going to do,'_ Raven coldly informed her emotions.

' _That's what you'll tell yourself, at least,'_ an emotion that she couldn't pinpoint murmured. ' _But we're you, and we know that this is something you've been hoping for.'_

With a frustrated sigh, Raven opened her eyes. This clearly wasn't working. Like Starfire, she couldn't stand doing nothing, especially when there might be something she could do to help. But at the same time, she was hesitant to intrude so much on his privacy. Groaning, she weighed both sides to the debate.

On the one hand, it was a serious violation of the one thing that should be of paramount privacy - the thoughts within your head and your perceptions of your memories. On the other hand, he might seriously need help with whatever had happened to him, and she was the only one in a position to help him. Sighing, she made her decision.

She could always apologize later.

* * *

Raven sat on the edge of Noctis's bed, right next to his head. She placed the palm of her hand on his forehead and closed her eyes. Her mouth moved as she muttered her mantra. Though it wasn't exactly necessary, it still helped to keep her focused. Slowly, very carefully, she felt her connection to her own physical mind thin as she forced her will into Noctis's psyche.

The first thing Raven felt about Noctis's mindscape was that it was different. Different from any single other mindscape that she had been in. Granted, since she tried to restrict the usage of her powers, she hadn't actually been in many mindscapes, but somehow, she felt that Noctis's was unique in more than it being the only one belonging to Noctis.

Opening her eyes, she found herself in what appeared to be a small cabin. There was one window, and a quick glance outside suggested that the cabin was in the middle of a forest. The lack of electrical appliances reinforced that conclusion. There were three doors - one in front of her, one to the right, and one to the left, with the window behind her. Silently, she padded over to each of the doors and tried opening them. To her frustration, the first two were locked.

As she approached the third door, she heard a voice that sounded remarkably like Noctis's. More surprising, though, was that she sensed Noctis's consciousness behind the door. This was no mere dream. Noctis was actually present within his own mind.

Opening the door, Raven strode into the room, causing Noctis to tensely whirl around. He relaxed when he recognized Raven, releasing a sigh.

"I figured you'd show up," he muttered. "Wasn't expecting you so soon, though." Looking around, Raven found that the room was a bedroom. A very tidy bedroom with a large window on one wall. A large bookcase filled with books stood opposite the window, and the bed was in the middle, pushed up against the wall opposing the door. Noctis sat down on the edge of the bed and slumped.

"I'd been hoping to get through a few more memories before you showed up, but you might as well stay since you're already here," he spoke to the ceiling. "But I do expect that you will say nothing to anyone about what you see here."

"Of course," Raven agreed. "Where are we?"

"A sensible question. Obviously, we're in my mind. Not so obviously, we're in my memories. Specifically, memories of my… erm… training." Raven perked up at that. "Judging by your interest, I'm deducing that Robin has already concluded that I've been trained by someone. I ask that, should he ever ask you about them, you refer back to my one stipulation regarding your presence here. That is, if I haven't talked about 'em"

"Right," Raven assured him. "Why are you looking through your memories?"

"I'm… suffering some aftereffects from spouting an original prophecy," he slowly answered. "I'm trying to remember how to take care of them."

"I see," Raven responded.

"If I might ask, what did I say? Normally I would be able to find the prophecy myself, but in my current state I find myself unable to ch…" he trailed off before finishing that sentence, his eyes locked on the door. "Oh good. Looks like I'm coming back with my mentor."

He started for the door, then froze, a panicked look on his face. "Shit," he murmured, almost so quiet that Raven didn't hear. But she did. "Shit, shit, shit."

"What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"Uhh… Nothing's _wrong_ , per se…" he nervously said. "It's just… you're going to hear a name I left behind when my mentor passed away."

There was silence at that statement while Raven processed what he said. His mentor was dead, and Noctis was not Noctis's real name. Of course it wasn't. Who names their kid 'Noctis Umbra'?

"Well, let's go see what I'm learning right now. This is the house in Japan, so it's probably something regarding the Realm of Prophecies… At least, I hope it is." Raven stared blankly at Noctis. Well, more blankly than her standard emotionless gaze.

"That's actually a real place?" Raven asked.

"Well, Kyle, I feel like you're ready to see the Realm today," a soft voice of indeterminate gender and age said on the other side of the door. Raven glanced at the door, then stared at Noctis, the corners of her mouth curling up into a smirk. He returned the stare, though it was much more akin to a glare on his face.

"Really?" a voice remarkably similar to Noctis's responded, though it was a slightly higher pitch. Noctis put his ear to the door, listening intently.

"Yes, though there are some things I must tell you before you try to go there," the first voice said with a chuckle.

"What do I need to know?" the young Noctis asked.

"Some very important things about the Realm of Prophecy. The things that make it dangerous, and how to avoid the danger. So listen carefully, and no interruptions," the teacher said.

"As you know, the Realm of Prophecy is not in this dimension. It is a dimension that is timeless as reality of an infinitely expanding size. Contained within is the energy of every prophecy, no matter how large or impactful it may have been. It's impossible to physically exist in the prophetic realm, and I have heard of none living who have seen it."

"And you'd been alive for a long time," Noctis muttered.

"But," Noctis's former mentor continued, "I will pass down to you what my mentor taught me millennia ago. From the one time he gave a prophecy. He said that the Realm of Prophecy is an unending void with nothing and everything. It grips you, speaks through you, understands you as it lets you understand it. It works itself into your soul. Opens your Mind's Eye."

Raven listened intently to the lesson. This was fascinating on many levels. On the most basic, it was a discussion about something she knew only a little about. On another, more complex level, the Realm of Prophecy was something she had only read about in a handful of ancient texts locked deep within the Azarathian Library. On yet another and even more confusing level to Raven, it was a peek into the mind of her newest teammate.

"Excuse me," the younger Noctis interrupted. "What's my Mind's Eye?"

The teacher sighed, while Noctis pushed his ear further into the door, if that was possible. "There are two primary elements that make you what you are. There is your physical body - arms, legs, chest, head, brain, organs - your anchor to the physical dimension. There is also your mental 'body', or awareness. Your thoughts, feelings, hopes, fears. It's your link to the non-physical dimensions, and endures beyond your physical body."

"Your Mind's Eye is essentially what controls the perceptions of your mental awareness. Under most circumstances, it is closed until your physical body fails you, at which point it opens and transfers to a non-physical dimension. The stimulus of a physical body in a physical dimension overpowers the sensitive nature of your Mind's Eye, and it simply can't handle the overload."

"Which becomes a problem if the Realm of Prophecy forces that eye open. My teacher always wore a band around his eyes and ears that would limit what he saw and heard, but it still caused him great distress. After he spoke his single prophecy, he was unable to close his Mind's Eye for many years. I'd say it was at least a century before he removed the mask, as it were."

"I remember this quite well now," Noctis said to Raven. "I remember what to do, and for that I believe you should go."

Raven nodded, albeit reluctantly. "You know, I don't even know why you let me stay," she said as she prepared to leave. "The last time I had visitors in my mind I couldn't get them out fast enough."

"I know that Robin still doesn't trust me," Noctis said after a minute. "And I know that I freak Beast Boy out almost as much as you. Starfire trusts me, but she'd trust literally anyone who didn't try to attack her or her friends without provocation, so her trust, while valued, seems like a token gift. Cyborg's on the fence about me. He's suspicious of me, but he's still keeping an open mind."

"So why am I still here?" Raven asked, her question still unanswered.

"Because Cyborg trusts you more than Robin does. It's hard for him to trust. This may seem… coldly calculated, but… if I can gain your trust, it'll be tipping over the dominoe to getting Robin to trust me. Not that I don't value your trust or anything, of course. It's just… he's an ass. And I think he'll be far less annoying if he trusts me to go out of his sight and not instantly go over to the HIVE or Slade."

Raven nodded, almost satisfied with that answer. "One question," she suspiciously said just as she was about to leave. "How do you know about Slade?"

"What, you know Slade?" Noctis asked, shock evident in his voice. "How do you know about Slade?"

"I asked first. Don't deflect, it makes you seem untrustworthy," Raven countered, placing emphasis on _trust._

Noctis's eyes widened, his pupils flicking back and forth between Raven and the door. A tense silence settled over the room, so thick it could be cut with a knife. Noctis let out a sigh after a minute. "If this is what it takes, then so be it," he murmured, more to himself than anything.

There was a burst of light, and Raven found herself in a new room, though it was quite similar to the one they had just left. Looking around, she saw an identical bed and bookcase, but the wood was a darker tone, and there was a thick carpet covering the floor. A glance at the window showed a frosted windowpane, the lower half covered by a pile of snow pressed into the glass. Suddenly Raven was aware of how cold the room was. It was dark outside.

"This is the night that my mentor passed away," Noctis's downtrodden voice startled her. "The night I learned that Hell is very, very real."

Another quick look around the room revealed Noctis sitting on a chair in the corner, staring at the bed. Following his gaze, Raven found herself looking at a younger version of Noctis, though the resemblance was all too obvious. "Is there a reason that we were hiding behind the door when you and your mentor were discussing the Realm of Prophecy?"

"Yes. I didn't want you to see my mentor. Not yet, at least. But, I suppose that's no longer an option," Noctis explained. "Other than that, this is my memory. Nothing here can hurt you."

It did not go unnoticed that he did not say 'us'.

Suddenly a tremor shook the building, knocking some dust from the rafters. The younger Noctis bolted awake, rolling out of bed and crouching with it between him and the door. A cold draft kicked up, blowing an icy wind into the room through the crack between the door and the doorframe.

"Kyle!" the voice from before shouted, this time with great urgency. "Get out of here! Rendezvous plan C! I'll catch up later!"

In the room, unknown to the speaker, young Noctis nodded, breaking a leg off of the chair that older Noctis had been sitting on. Armed with his makeshift club, Noctis smashed the window open, ducking as the wind knocked a pile of snow into the room. Carefully avoiding the shards of broken glass, he crawled out of the window and into the snow outside.

The older Noctis spoke up. "What you want to see is through the door. What you see while we're inside will be my speculation as to what happened. What you hear will be truth. When Slade throws Shui outside, everything will be true." Throwing open the door, he stepped through and held it open for Raven.

This room was also similar to the room that Raven first appeared in. There was an aged man with snow-white hair standing in front of a man dressed in a suit she knew all too well. "The powers of prescience are not for mortals," he warned in a threatening tone.

"You cannot protect the child forever, old man," Slade's chilling voice responded.

"I can protect him for long enough," Noctis's mentor spat back venomously. "I may not survive this night, but he will remain free because of it."

"You're a fool if you think you can keep him from me," Slade taunted. "Even now my robots will be catching him."

"Slade Wilson," the elder spoke softly. Slade's visible eye widened at the sound of his full name. "It is you who is the fool." With graceful agility unexpected in one of his age, he leapt to the wall and pulled a staff from it. Twisting to face Slade again, he slammed the tip of the staff into the floor. A ring of fire spread outwards from the staff, igniting the floor in a circle around him.

"You're outmatched here," Slade commented, pulling out a short metal stick. Pressing a button, it extended into a full length bo staff.

"You may be correct, but even so. I have fought with the staff for more years than you have been alive, and you will find this to be no swift victory," the determined mentor challenged. Slade growled.

"Here my imagination may have gone a bit wild," Noctis admitted. "I don't know about Slade, but Shui was incredibly skilled with a staff. And if Slade..." he trailed off.

Suddenly, Slade leapt into the air, staff spinning a half rotation as he brought it down to strike Shui's head. The elder stepped to the side, whipping his staff around, using his body as a fulcrum as he smashed it into Slade's side, sending the masked man flying.

"There will be nothing left in the ruins of this building for you to salvage once I'm dead," Shui asserted as the flames swiftly spread to the walls.

"And what makes you think I won't simply suffice with taking you?" Slade asked, clearly trying to distract the old prophet.

"The fact that if you do take me alive, I can and will kill myself," came the response spoken with clear confidence. "And you are not leaving this building unless it's by stepping over my corpse."

Raven's eyes widened at the conversation the two were having. The old man's resolve clearly stemmed from an iron will. It was apparent he cared far more for his student's safety than his own, and it was obvious that he loved Noctis.

"In that case, I shall just have to make this swift," Slade said, his tone dangerous. Lunging forward, he swept a wide swing at Shui with his staff. When the staff came into contact with the elder's and stopped, he twisted at the shoulder and dropped into a crouch. Still spinning, he extended a leg, catching Shui on the shoulder. Upon that contact, he leapt to his full height with another spinning roundhouse kick.

When it connected, though, there was no sickening crunch of bones breaking. Instead there was a metallic shrieking as metal dented. Shui had blocked the kick with the point of his staff, denting Slade's armored boot in the process.

"I believe I established that this will not be swift," Shui smirked.

Slade let out an enraged shout, then followed with a flurry of blows that Raven couldn't even keep track of. Shui just weaved in and out between the blows, dodging most of them and deflecting those he didn't block. Suddenly, Slade punched forward again. When Shui deflected the blow, Slade spun into his follow-through, bringing his other arm around to elbow Shui in the chest. The old man went flying and crashed through the fire-weakened wall and into the snowy night.

Slade stepped ominously out of the building, which had turned into a raging inferno. As he emerged from the wreckage, he spoke in a taunting voice. "Once you were strong, this I can see. Perhaps even strong enough to defeat me. But now, you are old. Your body fails you. The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak. You have delayed me as long as you can, old man."

Pulling an object out from his suit, Slade's eye narrowed viciously. He tossed the unknown object in the snow at Shui's feet. "But now," he continued, "You will die."

Shui laughed. "My time has come," he said. "I have known for many years now that death was approaching. It started with the arrival of the boy." He laughed, mirthlessly. "Those were the happiest years of my life in centuries. It is… appealing… to me, that I die having spat in your face."

An eruption of orange flames burst from the device in the snow beside the old man who had taken Noctis in and treated him as his own son. In the unsteady light of the burning building, a faintly red mist floated slowly and lazily to the ground. Slade's single eye clouded over with rage, and he released a shout of hatred that chilled Raven to the bone.

The memory faded into darkness, and Raven found herself expelled from Noctis's mind.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright. Subtlety is not my strong suit, so I'm just going to come out and say it.  
** **(Pretend I'm giving you Beast Boy's puppy dog eyes transformation and that you're Starfire)  
** **Please review! It makes me feel all warm and cuddly inside! Also, who knows, I might even respond to them.**

 **Silliness aside, I'm not quite sure I like my portrayal of Raven in this chapter. She feels a bit forced to me.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't even have anything amusing and original to say about what the case would be if I did own the franchise.**

 **Now, in complete disregard of what I said about subtlety, follows and favorites are like Oreo cookies. They're nice on their own, but there's something that they go pretty well with: Milk. And can you guys guess what Milk is in this metaphor?**

 **For those of you who guessed 'Reviews', you're absolutely correct, and I'd give you a cookie as a prize; except I don't have any, if my previous requests for reviews are in any way, shape, or form indicative of what the response will be this time. For those of you who guessed anything else, then I'm not the person you should go to for confirmation on whether your answer is correct. I'm going to be biased, after all.**

 **Until next time.**


	6. A Clean Slate

It had been several hours since the debacle in Noctis's mind, and Raven was practically begging for anything to do to keep her mind occupied. She was so distracted by the memory of Slade killing Noctis's teacher that even in meditation, it was all that she saw. The slowly falling bloodmist was gruesome, to say the least, but it wasn't what bothered her. The only thing she could focus on was just how much she could feel her demonic blood seeking that exact same situation. It was a soft, persistent drive to kill that lurked on the edge of her conscious thought.

A hiss from behind her drew her attention. Glancing up, she saw Robin enter the room and make a beeline for the kitchen. Setting her book down, Raven rose to her feet and followed him.

"I reviewed the tapes with Cy," Robin said, noticing her presence behind him. "There's no way he wasn't trained, but there's not enough to go on to even narrow down a teacher."

Raven said nothing. It wasn't her place, was it? He had respected her privacy the night they met. Was it really only five days since they'd met him? It felt like it had been much longer. "Are you really going to go behind his back?" she asked, taking the low road. At least, it certainly didn't feel like the high road.

"He's not exactly the most forthcoming person we could have met," Robin retorted.

"Neither am I," Raven countered. Honestly, Robin could be so pigheaded sometimes.

"Yeah, but you've been with us for a long time. You've got our backs, and we've got yours. We don't know about him."

"And when are you going to give him the chance to prove he's with us?" Raven icily questioned. "You're not trusting him because you're not even giving him the chance to earn your trust. If anything, he shouldn't trust you. After all, you're just using him."

She paused, as if struck by a realization. "Or is that why you don't trust him?" Robin glared at her, but otherwise said nothing.

* * *

Noctis looked around the room, really seeing it for the first time. It was the room that Cyborg had set up for him the night after Noctis had accepted Robin's invitation, so it was basically his first time inside. It was practically identical to the guest room, with the exception of the walls being a neutral grey color, rather than a welcoming shade of peach. Stretching, he decided that he was hungry and stepped out of the room, heading towards the kitchen.

He was about to enter the Ops room when he heard voices. More specifically, Robin and Raven talking to eachother. He briefly considered greeting them, but dismissed the idea when a more enticing one came to him. Crouching, he placed his ear next to the vent that he was hearing their voices through.

"...we could have met." That was Robin's voice, no doubt about it. Still as arrogant as ever.

"Neither am I." Raven, for sure. He was still slightly frustrated with her, but he had forgiven her. After all, it was initially for good intentions that she entered his mind.

"Yeah, but you've been with us for a long time. You've got our backs, and we've got yous. We don't know about him." Damn, Robin, that stung. Can you really blame a guy for not earning your trust before even giving him a chance to earn it?

Apparently Raven was thinking the same thing. "And when are you going to give him the chance to prove he's with us?" _You go, girl._ "You're not trusting him because you're not giving him the chance to earn your trust. If anything, he shouldn't trust you. After all, you're just using him."

Wait. What?

"Or is that why you don't trust him?"

 _What the hell does that mean?_ Noctis realized with a start that there were footsteps approaching and threw himself into the shadows, willing them to conceal him. The door hissed open, and a very irate Raven strode through, muttering some choice words about Robin. She suddenly stopped just before turning to enter her room. Noctis noted with some surprise that her room was the one across the hall from his.

She stared at Noctis's door, then approached. She raised her fist to knock, but just before making contact with the door, she let her fist fall. Slowly, she turned back to her room and phased through the door.

 _What did she mean when she said Robin was using him?_ Frustrated and curious, he entered the Ops room, hoping to settle the matter. The first thing that he saw was Robin, standing by the fridge with a look that was half frustration, half shame plastered to his face. The second thing he noticed was the jagged crack that ran along the entire length of the kitchen wall.

"What happened here?" Noctis asked, gesturing at the crack.

"Raven," Robin said glumly. Noctis's eyes widened in shock.

"What do you mean? What did she do?"

"She felt too much."

"Care to elaborate?" Noctis pushed, confused.

"Not really. It's her you should ask," Robin replied.

"Oh, so you do care about people's privacy. Shocker."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin angrily retorted, eliciting a laugh from Noctis.

"You truly don't see it, do you? The way your obsessive nature refuses to accept that it's possible for someone to not have it out for you. Let me guess. You have several plans to take care of your teammates if they ever get in your way, don't you?" Robin refused to answer.

"Your silence is telling, Robin. There's a discussion we've been needing to have, you and I. Why don't you and I go and have that discussion right now?" Noctis grabbed the fabric covering Robin's shoulder and twisted it into his hands, pulling the Boy Wonder close.

"Let go of me," Robin darkly threatened.

"I know you don't trust me, Robin. But there isn't a reason for it. So, I was thinking…" Noctis's eyes narrowed, wispy tendrils of black magic drifting out of the corners of his eyes. "Maybe I should give you a reason not to."

"But," he continued. "Then, I overhear this very interesting conversation between two birds. About how maybe the red bird should worry more about being trusted than trusting someone. Sound familiar?"

Robin's eyes narrowed and he glared at Noctis. "I don't have to justify myself to you," he shot coldly.

"Maybe not," Noctis agreed. In a much more dangerous tone, he continued. "Except when it involves me. You're using me, Robin. This conversation won't be over until I find out what for." Robin growled.

So intense were they that they didn't notice the arrival of Starfire and Cyborg, who were having an animated discussion until they saw the two literally at eachother's throats. Cyborg and Starfire beheld the scene before them with no small amount of shock, their jaws hanging slightly open.

"Dang, Beast Boy said that Noctis was scary, but dayum," Cyborg commented. "This is crazy."

"Friends, please!" Starfire shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "There is no need for such malice! Can we not discuss our issues in a manner of civilization?"

"I am being civil," Noctis growled darkly at her. "Robin, would you care to explain how, exactly, you've been using me and or plan to use me? Your continued good health depends greatly on how you answer my question."

Robin grumbled something incoherently. "Try again," Noctis demanded. "And make it understandable."

"Slade's after yo-"

"OF COURSE SLADE'S AFTER ME!" Noctis roared vehemently, so loudly that the windows shook. "HE'S BEEN AFTER ME SINCE I WAS TWELVE!" Noctis heaved a great shuddering breath, as if trying to restrain himself.

"So I, that is, we-"

"Don't drag us into this, Rob," Cy interrupted. "You didn't listen to me, so this is your own grave you dug." Robin shot him a withering glare that did nothing to cow Cyborg, who had a smirk on his face.

"Right. I figured that maybe I'd use you as… bait… to draw him out."

Silence rang at Robin's admission. Starfire seemed extremely cross with Robin, flying over and slapping him in the face. "That is very deceitful and underhanded and cruel and untrustworthy and unscrupulous, Robin! I am very disappointed in you! You will deceive our friend no more, or we will be friends no more."

Robin hung his head, quickly realizing that he would find no support from his teammates. This became especially apparent when a dark circle appeared on the floor and Raven emerged from within, dragging a struggling Beast Boy.

"Ugh… I hate that," Beast Boy complained. "You know I don't like teleporting, Raven."

"This is important, Beast Boy. Take something seriously for once in your life." It was then that Beast Boy noticed Noctis and Robin practically staring eachothers heads off.

"For someone who talks so much about trust, you seem to only value it when it suits you… Robin." Noctis spat the words acidly, mustering as much vehemence and condescension as he could. "Raven was right. You should worry less about trusting others, and more about earning their trust."

With a twirl of his cloak, Noctis spun and stalked out of the room, his hunger from before forgotten in the intensity of the moment. The other titans, minus Robin, stared after him. Robin, for his part, simply glared at the floor, trying to justify has actions to himself.

"I told you it was a bad idea, Robin," Cyborg muttered quietly. "When are you going to realize that you're not always right?"

"When are you going to hold yourself to the same standards you hold others to?" Raven continued, adding her own input to the conversation.

"I didn't tell him because I didn't want him to run. I thought if he knew Slade was after him he'd just book it," Robin retorted weakly.

"There's no one in the world who wants to destroy Slade more than Noctis," Raven murmured, surprising Robin. "Not even you, Robin. Noctis wants to take from Slade what Slade took from him."

"His sense of safety." Raven turned and started to walk away as well, but paused at the door. "You should apologize. Admit your mistakes, at least this once. Before the opportunity passes."

* * *

Robin sighed deeply. Why did his team have to bully him into this? It wasn't entirely his fault that Noctis figured out he was using him. It was also Raven's fault, wasn't it?

Currently he was standing in the hallway between Raven's door and Noctis's door. Raven was probably on the other side of her door, paying very close attention to Robin, if for no other reason than Cyborg and Starfire asking her. Making sure he actually did apologize.

Grumbling, Robin raised a fist and banged it into the door. He waited for Noctis to open up. And waited. And waited. And waited. His patience wearing thin already, he knocked against the door a few more times, not expecting Noctis to open up. So he was surprised when the door slid to the side and revealed a very weary looking prophet.

"What?" he pointedly asked. "Haven't you done enough?"

Robin sighed internally. This was hard enough without Noctis deliberately antagonizing him. Looking Noctis in the eyes, Robin took a deep breath. "I need to… apologize, for my behavior. I was wrong and acted like a child."

Noctis's eyes narrowed. "And who convinced you to apologize? Because you sure as hell didn't decide to on your own."

"Can we just quit it with the hostilities and start with a clean slate?" Robin irritatedly asked. "We evidently got off on the wrong foot, and that's primarily my fault. Can we agree to start over?"

Noctis silently stared Robin down as he considered the proposal. The hard look to his eyes softened as he made a decision. "Very well," he said as he extended his hand. "My name is Noctis Umbra. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Robin grasped the proffered hand and shook it as he replied. "Robin. Nice to have you onboard." Inwardly he released a sigh of relief. This interaction could have gone much, much worse.

Raven let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding on the other side of her door. She hadn't expected Robin to be so… humble. Humility and Robin mixed about as well as oil and water. Noctis, though normally composed and therefore somewhat predictable, had been infuriated, to say the least. She had worried that he might snub Robin, which would only serve to make the situation worse. Thankfully, he was at least amiable enough to respond to Robin in a respectful...ish manner.

The conversation in the hall had managed to successfully trail off into a long and awkward silence. Robin's gaze wandered around - the floor, the walls, the little bit of Noctis's room that he was able to see, almost everywhere except Noctis's face. Noctis, for his part, stared straight at Robin with such intensity that it was unnerving for even Robin.

"Sooo," Robin started, trying to break the awkward silence. "About that… thing, that happened in the Ops room…"

"What about it?"

"What happened? Why did the lights go all screwy?"

"That's something everyone's gonna want to know about, and it'll be easiest to deal with it as a group," Noctis answered without explaining. Raising his voice, he continued. "Raven, would you mind gathering the others and telling them to meet us in the Ops room? It's storytime."

Silence met his words as they echoed down the hall, but it was not to last. A dark ovoid abyss appeared on Raven's door and she stepped through, giving a curt nod before disappearing into the floor. Robin glanced at her as she disappeared before gesturing towards the Ops room.

* * *

"In full, this is the prophecy. 'The Daughter of Earth approaches. With stony heart must choice be made, to grind to dust or train with blade; wandering exile self-imposed, for fear she runs from friend and foe; primordial power in her veins, wild destruction be her bane; cursed by nature - doomed by fate, her soul be burdened by great weight; titanic courage see her plight, titanic action cure her blight; born of stone and weather tempered, dark or darker be she mentored.' Not the flashiest of prophecies, but certainly not the least," Noctis stated.

"So what does it mean?" Robin asked, straightforward as ever.

"I don't know," Noctis evenly replied. "There are many possible interpretations, but I don't know which is right. Only time will tell."

"So what do you think it means?" Robin pushed. Noctis sighed. Before an argument could start, Raven's calm voice interrupted them.

"Why don't we analyze it one line at a time?" she suggested. Robin stared at her as if she had just provided the cure to cancer. Or stubbornness. "The daughter of Earth approaches. It definitely sounds like a warning."

"It also doesn't have a companion phrase. The rest of the prophecy is organized in couplets, but not this," Cyborg added.

"That's unlikely to be excessively important," Noctis interjected. "Most of the time, the organization of a prophecy is simply energy forming into an elegant shape. If I had spoken in a different language, it would have a different format, but it would flow just as well. But I do agree - it does sound like a warning."

"With stony heart must choice be made, to grind to dust or train with blade," Raven continued after a brief nod. "It's building on the Earth theme, though what it means I can't tell."

"What if it's a meta who controls the Earth?" Robin suggested.

"Dude! That'd be sick!" Beast Boy exclaimed excitedly. "Imagine what someone could do with that kind of power…" Beast Boy's eyes glazed over as his imagination seized his mind and he fell into the land of daydreams. Raven sighed.

"It's not unlikely," Noctis murmured. "Wandering exile self-imposed, for fear she runs from friend and foe. If the prophecy is foretelling a meta who controls the earth, then she's alone by her own choice."

"Primordial power in her veins, wild destruction be her bane," Raven quoted. "Supports the idea that we're predicting a meta with power over rocks and dirt."

"Initially, I thought it might be referring to Cinderblock, but he's not female, and it specifically refers to this meta as female," Cyborg muttered. "Cursed by nature - doomed by fate, her soul be burdened by great weight. That doesn't make much sense, other than that maybe she feels responsible for something."

"I don't like this next part," Robin said. "Titanic courage see her plight, titanic action cure her blight. I feel like 'titanic' has multiple meanings here, more than just a ridiculously large amount."

"That may be correct, but we will not know until the time comes," Noctis agreed. "Born of stone and weather tempered, by dark or darker be she mentored. She may be untrained and not in control of her powers, which might explain her self imposed exile."

Robin slowly shook his head. "So you think it's predicting a meta with power over the earth, but little control over those powers?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that interpretation - events have yet to unfold, and speculation on the meaning of the prophecy is a trap for me," Noctis murmured.

"So we're basically back at square one?" Robin irritatedly asked.

Noctis shook his head. "Yes and no. Yes, we're back at square one. No, because we have several maps that might lead us through the maze ahead of us. We'll be able to eliminate maps as the maze disproves them."

Robin sat back with a hand on his chin. "So we have the words figured out as best we can right now. Can you explain what happened after that when Raven was with you?"

"That is a very complicated topic, Robin. Not one I wish to speak about right now. However, in a symbolic olive branch, I will tell you this, since you've been so curious. The man who trained me was an old man named Shui."

Noctis rose to his feet with a loud groan. "Now if you'll excuse me, I haven't eaten since yesterday morning, and would very much like to banish this feeling of emptiness in my stomach." He swiftly walked into the kitchen, only hesitating in front of the fridge when he reached to open it. With a deep breath to steel his resolve, he opened the door.

Immediately there was a menacing growl as the sentient blue fuzz reacted to the sudden light. Noctis let out a yelp of surprise before encasing his hand in shadows and reaching into the fridge to grasp the mold. Releasing a piercing battlecry, he forcefully ripped the blue terror from its perch on the shelf of the fridge. It screeched its defiance, but nevertheless was placed in the garbage bag - the only object in said bag, given the messy nature of the Titans.

Noctis promptly proceeded to seal the garbage bag and its lone occupant before throwing the bag into yet another garbage bag, which he also sealed. Looking up from his handiwork, he realized with a jolt of surprise that there were four pairs of eyes staring at him, seven of them wide with shock.

"What?" he demanded, slightly unnerved by the unwarranted stare.

"Did you actually just do what I think you just did?" Cyborg asked in disbelief.

"That depends entirely on what you think I just did."

"He's asking if you actually just got rid of the blue mold that's been terrorizing the fridge," Raven dryly explained.

Noctis lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. _And these are superheroes?_ "Yes. Yes, actually, in fact I did."

"And you didn't hit it with starbolts and cause it to explode and get everywhere?" Robin asked, looking at the kitchen.

"No, I didn't. And why would you ask that? Isn't it pretty obvious that didn't happen?" Noctis answered.

"I believe that he is making 'the reference' to the last time the sentient fuzz of blue was removed from the machine of refrigeration by me," Starfire spoke up.

Noctis just returned the blank stares at the group, trying to wrap his mind around this new information. "Let me get this straight. You guys are not only lazy enough to let this blue mold grow uninhibited within your fridge, but you're lazy enough to let it grow twice?"

"Three times," Raven corrected him.

"Thrice? What is wrong with you people? Is sanitation an unknown concept to you?" Noctis shook his head in shock, somewhat awed by level of disinterest he was seeing. "Regardless," he continued as he grabbed a pot from the cupboard and started washing it. "I'm going to cook now. And if I get interrupted while cooking or eating by any of you, I'm going to be extremely displeased."

Slowly, the titans dispersed across the tower, doing their own personal titan-y things. Cyborg and Beast Boy immediately flopped down on the couch, turning on the tv and gamestation. Robin made a beeline for the Evidence room. Honestly, it was like there was something in there besides the tools they confiscated from their enemies with all the time he spent down there.

Raven disappeared into a black portal, going Raven knows where. Starfire… vanished, having left the tower. Noctis just busied himself in the kitchen, cooking himself a soup of some sort. He had just settled down to eat when a loud alarm blared out, surprising him and causing him to flinch and nearly knock over his soup. Red flashing lights emerged from hidden compartments in the wall and added to his disarray.

"You… have got to be KIDDING ME!" the shadow prophet screamed in defiance as he vehemently shoved a spoonful of soup into his mouth.

Robin bolted into the room, preparing to shout his usual line when he noticed the look of unadulterated rage and defiance on Noctis's face. He was swiftly joined by Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy in staring at their companion's visage.

"Y'know, maybe he could sit this one out," Cyborg suggested. The others merely nodded mutely.

"Wouldn't hurt to keep him in reserve in case things go south," Robin agreed. Oh man, would things go south though.

* * *

 **A/N: I fell into the trap of "I need some inspiration. I'm gonna go read this fanfic for inspiration. Oh, this is a pretty good fic, so lemme finish it before I get back to mine. Man, I really like this author, do they have anything else? Oh, they do, and it's only 350k words? Lemme read that. Holy, this is good, gotta finish before I work on mine. Damn, now I'm feeling really bad about my work. Compared to this, I'm absolutely terrible." All in all, feeling like this chapter is low quality at best. Like, 144p.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. It's probably for the best.**

 **Not sure if subtlety is working. Reviews are appreciated, folks.**


End file.
